THE adherence of journalists to the professional code of ethics has been described as a sine qua non if the embarrassment bedeviling the business of information management in the country is to be addressed.

As a result, the code has been recommended to address the realities in the Nigerian media and democratic landscape and also as an effective tool for regulating journalism practice and ensuring professionalism. This is with a view to ensuring journalism development in line with international best practices.

Last week in Abuja professionals gathered for a two-day Stakeholders Meeting on the Review of the Code of Ethics for Nigerian Journalists, and organised by the Democratic Governance for Development (DGD) of United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in partnership with Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ). At the forum, stakeholders in the country’s media industry brainstormed on how to develop a new code of ethics for Nigerian journalists.

The DGD project, which is an electoral cycle, is supported by the European Union (EU), United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID), Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), UNDP, which also manages the project.

Present at the workshop were representatives from stakeholders in the Nigerian media industry including Nigerian Press Council (NPC), Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), Nigerian Broadcasting Commission (NBC) and Broadcasters Organisation of Nigeria (BON), Radio, Television and Theatre Arts Workers Union (RATTAWU) among others.

Some of the issues raised at the meeting included how poor remuneration of journalists could be improved upon, noting that corrupt practice exhibited by some journalists was borne out of poor salary being paid journalists.

For instance, it was noted that some media houses have become notorious for not paying their reporters regularly, with some for as long as up to six months’ salary yet to be paid. This, according to the forum, created an avenue for journalists to being amenable for collecting bribe, which hindered the objectivity of their reportage in the long run.

The forum reviewed the requirements needed to assume the post of an editor. It noted that if an incompetent editor managed a media house, it would reduce not only the news judgment of the media house, but also diminish the prestige of journalism profession.

They, therefore, recommended that every journalist be provided with a copy of the code of ethics by the media house they work with in order to equip him with the knowledge of how to operate as a journalist.

Stakeholders advocated for the imposition of sanctions on defaulters so as to entrench fear in them against breaking the code of ethics. The issue of syndicating stories by one reporter to other media houses was also condemned at the meeting. It was observed that a lot of media houses were in the habit of lifting stories from various news agencies without acknowledging the source from which they got the stories. They described this practice as criminal and highly unethical to the profession of journalism.

While addressing participants, the UNDP/DGD Project Director, Dr. Mourtada Deme noted the important role the media played in keeping citizens’ engaged in the business of governance. To him, a healthy political process required media pluralism and open communication which could not be achieved without an ethical media.

Deme, who was represented by a democratic governance specialist, Mintwab Zelelew, stressed, “All over the world, the practice of journalism is guided by code of ethics that guides the role of the media as the Fourth Estate of the Realm, as an institution that holds government accountable and as the voice of citizens.”

He tasked journalists to ensure that the media presented and clarified the goals and values of society. Deme said the media should provide full access to the day’s intelligence.

Similarly, National President, Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Mohammed Garba stressed the imperatives of reviewing the existing code of ethics for Nigerian journalists to tally with existing realities. He noted that when the first code of ethics was promulgated there was no Information and Communication Technology, but now that there were social media platforms, they necessitated the need to review the codes.

Garba noted, “We are reviewing the codes because we have received a lot of complaints from quite a number of organisations and individuals about the increasing case of professional misconduct and abuse of privileges by the media”.

Garba, who is also the President, Federation of African Journalists (FAJ), urged every stakeholder to pledge and abide by the provisions of the codes, as the only way ethics could be entrenched in journalism.

He said NPC should be headed by a journalist with at least 20 years’ working experience and that the board should be composed of stakeholders in the media industry, noting that was the only way the provision in the reviewed code of ethics for journalists could be entrenched.

FOR the President, Nigerian Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), Asabe Baba Nahaya, the importance of the code of ethics could not be overemphasised. She said without the code there would be no journalism practice.

Nahaya said the meeting was aimed at tackling a wide range of issues pertaining to the life, welfare and career of a journalist, adding, “As stakeholders we have a lot of work to do. We need to make our members have copies of the code and also check why some media houses are really established”.

According to her, the hindrances journalists faced included intimidation, vested interest and the issue of ‘who pays the piper dictates the tune’.

For the Managing Editor, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Alli Hakeem, who represented the NGE president, said the code of ethics was important to any professional group and must be kept sacrosanct to avoid infringements on the rights of journalists. He noted that the code must be put in place in a manner that its observances were monitored.

He stated, “If you do not have a code of conducts for journalists people will be writing a lot of libelous things against people, particularly in this political dispensation where journalists may become very vulnerable to abuse either by those in power against the opposition or those in opposition against those in power”.

The factors militating against journalists from complying with these codes were mainly political and socio-economic. According to Hakeem, “if a reporter is being paid say, four thousand naira monthly (N400,000), it would be difficult for such a person to be lured with N5,000 to flout the code of ethics”.

The Executive Secretary, NPC, Mudashiru Bayo Atoyebi said the moment any profession abdicated the codes guarding it the profession becomes ordinary and loses public respect, adding, “Any who says he is a journalist and is not aware of the code of the profession is definitely operating in isolation”.

He bemoaned editorial interference in the country’s media houses, saying it was one of the factors undermining the code of ethics of journalism. He urged all stakeholders in the industry to come together to look at the challenges facing journalism in the country and how it could be addressed.

According to the Director at Ogun State Television (OGTV), Diji Akinhanmi who represented BON, many journalists were not doing the job the right way. He said most of the embarrassment the profession faced would not have happened if the code were strictly observed.

He said the code was meant to represent the activities of the practitioners. According to him, editors were supposed to check up on reporters, particularly the states’ correspondents to see how well they were handling their tasks “because most of them have turned themselves to gods.”

Akinhanmi said journalism profession had become lose overtime hence the need to review the code of ethics had become inevitable. He objected to the excuse that poverty was the main cause of malpractices among journalists because to him poverty had always been in the land but self-discipline was what could put an end to the corruption in the profession.

President of RATTAWU, Yemisi Bambgose tasked journalists to get a copy of the reviewed code and learn it by heart because, “it is like a bible, a working procedure that must always be in the heart of a journalist. For instance, if your ethics forbid you from working in an organisation where you do not have the structure of collective bargaining then you know your rights are not protected there”.

According to Bambgose, the fact that some newspaper proprietors do not pay salaries of reporters as at when due had contributed to the challenges militating against journalism.

The Director, International Press Centre, Lanre Arogundade said journalism comes with social responsibility and a lot of trust is put into it in society. For instance, “the Constitution gives us the obligation to monitor governance and hold government accountable to the people. We are the societal watchdog and our attitude is that, a watchdog must watch itself, especially against the background of ethical misconduct on the part of journalists”.

Arogundade noted that the first document that should be presented to an intending journalist who coming to practice either at the newsroom or the institute should be the code of ethics that expects certain standard of behaviour and reporting.

DGD Communications and Reporting Advisor, Toyin Adewale-Gabriel, said the project was interested in supporting national media because they “are very key to the development of democracy in Nigeria”.