Why Govt Shouldn’t Regulate Media –NUJ

The Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) on Monday gave reasons
why the government should not regulate the media.

The union stressed the need for the media to be regulated by
stakeholders and practitioners in the sector.

The NUJ was reacting to the Bill seeking to amend the Nigerian
Press Council (NPC) Act currently before the House of
Representatives.

The union stressed that it would be subjudice to discuss the
amendment of the NPC Act when the Nigerian Press Organisation
(NPO), which is the umbrella body for the Newspapers Proprietors’
Association of Nigeria (NPAN), the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE)
and the NUJ, is currently in court with the government over issues
affecting the NPC.

NUJ President Christopher Isiguzo made the comments in an
interview on Channels TV.

He said: “From the NUJ perspective, we didn’t really make a
presentation during the public hearing last week because we were
not properly invited to that public hearing. But from the NPO
perspective, we opposed the planned amendment.

“From that angle, we asked the House of Representatives and, by
extension, the National Assembly, to drop the move because the NPO
is presently in court with the government as regards issues
affecting the NPC. We felt that it would be subjudice to begin to
discuss the issues while they’re in court, although the Committee
Chairman had a different view about it. From that angle, we said
they should stop for now and let us dispense with the issues in
court.

“I do not think anybody is allergic to being regulated. What we
are concerned about here is: if you look at the issues in court, we
said the government should not regulate the media but allow the
practitioners, stakeholders to regulate themselves. It’s very
simple.

“If you go to some other countries, Ghana for instance, the
person heading the Press Council, of course, is a journalist. We
felt that when you allow us to regulate ourselves, it will be a lot
easier.

“If you look at the proposed amendment Bill, you will be looking
at areas where they want to even criminalise journalism practice.
For instance, if a journalist breaches – so to speak – the ethical
code, you want him to go to prison and all that.

“We said no; there are ways that we can sanction practitioners
that breach the ethics. We can suspend the person and we can also
get the NUJ to get the person’s name struck out of the membership
list, instead of sending the journalist to jail. These are the grey
areas that we felt we should address.

“We said at the National Assembly last week that before we even
zero-in to a public hearing, discussing the proposed amendments and
Bills, that we needed to have sat down as stakeholders. You get the
NUJ, the Editors’ Guild, NPAN, government representatives and all
of us to sit down together and clear the grey areas so that we can
be on the same page.”

“Recent developments send shivers down our spines. If we cave in
to this subtle attack, what could come after it may not be
controlled by anybody. That is why we are worried.

“Even when they talk about regulating social media and all that,
ordinarily, one would have said there is no problem with that. This
is because if you go to other climes, these are very simple things
they do. If you come, you must align with their own system. If it
is not in line with that, you cannot operate the social media.

“But today, all the newspapers, broadcast stations are on social
media. And if you just give them a blank cheque to regulate the
social media, your guess is as good as mine as to what will come
out of it.

“That is why it becomes imperative that stakeholders have to
come together, sit and agree: look at what we want and make it
clear so that all the parties will understand before you go to a
public hearing. But when you want to jump the gun – so to speak –
gather people, like for us, we were not invited properly.”

The Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) on Monday gave reasons
why the government should not regulate the media.

The union stressed the need for the media to be regulated by
stakeholders and practitioners in the sector.

The NUJ was reacting to the Bill seeking to amend the Nigerian
Press Council (NPC) Act currently before the House of
Representatives.

The union stressed that it would be subjudice to discuss the
amendment of the NPC Act when the Nigerian Press Organisation
(NPO), which is the umbrella body for the Newspapers Proprietors’
Association of Nigeria (NPAN), the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE)
and the NUJ, is currently in court with the government over issues
affecting the NPC.

NUJ President Christopher Isiguzo made the comments in an
interview on Channels TV.

He said: “From the NUJ perspective, we didn’t really make a
presentation during the public hearing last week because we were
not properly invited to that public hearing. But from the NPO
perspective, we opposed the planned amendment.

“From that angle, we asked the House of Representatives and, by
extension, the National Assembly, to drop the move because the NPO
is presently in court with the government as regards issues
affecting the NPC. We felt that it would be subjudice to begin to
discuss the issues while they’re in court, although the Committee
Chairman had a different view about it. From that angle, we said
they should stop for now and let us dispense with the issues in
court.

“I do not think anybody is allergic to being regulated. What we
are concerned about here is: if you look at the issues in court, we
said the government should not regulate the media but allow the
practitioners, stakeholders to regulate themselves. It’s very
simple.

“If you go to some other countries, Ghana for instance, the
person heading the Press Council, of course, is a journalist. We
felt that when you allow us to regulate ourselves, it will be a lot
easier.

“If you look at the proposed amendment Bill, you will be looking
at areas where they want to even criminalise journalism practice.
For instance, if a journalist breaches – so to speak – the ethical
code, you want him to go to prison and all that.

“We said no; there are ways that we can sanction practitioners
that breach the ethics. We can suspend the person and we can also
get the NUJ to get the person’s name struck out of the membership
list, instead of sending the journalist to jail. These are the grey
areas that we felt we should address.

“We said at the National Assembly last week that before we even
zero-in to a public hearing, discussing the proposed amendments and
Bills, that we needed to have sat down as stakeholders. You get the
NUJ, the Editors’ Guild, NPAN, government representatives and all
of us to sit down together and clear the grey areas so that we can
be on the same page.”

“Recent developments send shivers down our spines. If we cave in
to this subtle attack, what could come after it may not be
controlled by anybody. That is why we are worried.

“Even when they talk about regulating social media and all that,
ordinarily, one would have said there is no problem with that. This
is because if you go to other climes, these are very simple things
they do. If you come, you must align with their own system. If it
is not in line with that, you cannot operate the social media.

“But today, all the newspapers, broadcast stations are on social
media. And if you just give them a blank cheque to regulate the
social media, your guess is as good as mine as to what will come
out of it.

“That is why it becomes imperative that stakeholders have to
come together, sit and agree: look at what we want and make it
clear so that all the parties will understand before you go to a
public hearing. But when you want to jump the gun – so to speak –
gather people, like for us, we were not invited properly.”