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| Publisher and CEO Of Radar Newspaper Mr. Franklin Isong |
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| Radar Newspaper |
By Israel Umoren One local newspaper in the State that appeared to have focus from inception was The Radar newspaper. The paper was known for its forthright stand point on issues of social significance and balance reportage. Its mission statement, “to practice journalism at its best, upholding the tenets of the profession without compromise for betterment of the society” was until recently, a guiding compass and focus of the newspaper. But from the turn of event, The Radar newspaper has lost its professional and ethical focus and is toeing the path of hate, blackmail, image slandering and character assignation that is the preoccupation of quack journalists in the State.
The recent publication by The Radar newspaper on its February 29, 2016 edition, captioned, “Exposed! The Face of a Tribalist in Udom’s Govt” with the portrait of the Secretary to the State Government, Sir Etekamba Umoren is unbecoming of a paper that once attempted to earn for itself respect and wide readership. The report shows the paper’s selfish motive and intent, which is to malign and cast aspersion on the person of Sir Etekamba Umoren – a reputable public servant and administrator.
The Radar claimed the report against the SSG is based on investigation but one does not need expert analysis of the report to know that it level of investigation was shallow and cannot be called investigative report. The publisher of The Radar, Franklyn Isong, it is on record had won the best investigative journalist award in the State. If it was this kind of lopsided and prejudiced reportage that earned him such an award, the award is therefore questionable. The criteria by which he was selected and awarded call for review and re-examination in line with ethical and best practice.
The publisher of The Radar and the crew always claimed to have the knack for investigative journalism, but this very article has exposed their shallow knowledge and ineptitude as well as ignorance of the role of journalism in the society. They have failed to understand that the media should be used to build the society and not to create lines of division, tribalism and ethnic discord. The Radar newspaper is ignorant of the fact that as watchdog of the society, the media should foster good governance and advance the society.
The Radar newspaper crew further exposed their inexperience and incompetence in the manner they conducted the so called investigation, which produced the skewed report. An investigative journalist is guided by the fact that a twisted fact and unverified viewpoints can cause irreparable damage to people and leave the writer with damaged credibility and possible libel suit. This is why ethical standard is considered as cardinal in investigative journalism. This is what Radar newspaper has deliberately jettisoned in its determined effort to smear, cast aspersions and damage the reputation of the Secretary to the State Government, Sir Etekamba Umoren.
The title, ‘Exposed!’ from a cursory look presented itself to be thorough investigative report, which finding is revealing and expository. But it is rather disappointing that throughout the story, there is nothing revealing as the title claims, rather series of one-sided presentations of the imagination and fabrication of the writer, and perhaps the standpoint of The Radar Newspaper. The entire report lacks any element of investigative work but possesses ill-intention and dark motive of the author against a man that has distinguished himself as a statesman.
For instance, the report stated, “This paper gathered that the SSG did not only reject non-Annang civil servants, but also instructed the Head of Service to post an Annang Permanent Secretary…to his office because he cannot work with non-Annang Permanent Secretary and the Head of Civil (sic) obliged his instruction against the civil service practice”. The paper and the author of this concocted report failed to crosscheck this information with the Head of Civil Service in order to present a balanced and factual report to its readers as the practice demands. This shows that their intentions, to malign and discredit the SSG took precedent over professional consideration. Here The Radar goofed and exposed the ineptitude of its editorial crew.
At another point, the paper stated that “the SSG has polarized his office with Annang and non-Annang civil servants sentiment.” The writer also failed to establish statistically, the number of civil servants working in the office of the SSG; how many are the Annangs and how many are non-Annangs, as well as their cadre and strata in the Civil service. It is expected that a report that claimed to expose anomaly must be supported with statistics, fact and records before drawing conclusion based on such facts and statistics. This report by The Radar newspaper failed to follow this rule of the thumb. The record from the Office of the SSG shows that there is equal representation of all ethnic groups in the office. Here the Radar newspaper failed again in its investigation.
The attempt by The Radar to brand the SSG as a ‘tribalist’ is an expression of the paper’s utter disregard for the office of the SSG and disrespect for his person. Sir Etekamba Umoren, a seasoned and an urbane administrator, thoroughbred manager and technocrat had moved from the rank and file of the civil service and retired in 2014 as Permanent Secretary. Within the years he served in the Civil Service, he has worked with people from different tribes and culture and has built a culture of relating with them based on who they are and what they have to offer, not on the basis of tribe or ethnicity as The Radar postulated.
A friend, Ubong was contracted to install internet facilities for the SSG in his office and resident. Till this moment, Ubong has not recovered from that singular encounter with Sir Umoren, which changed his life for the better. It is rather surprising that Ubong is from Nsit Ubium and not from Annang. Ubong’s case is only one out of legions of people Sir Umoren has affected positively without knowing where they are from. What then is the parameter in adjudging him a ‘tribalist’. The Radar should reassess its motive in this dastardly publication.
The Radar newspaper must desist from this kind of ill-intention and prejudiced report in the name of investigative report. The paper and its team of ill-motive writers must have to learn from the likes of Ray Ekpu and others who have earned themselves names and reputation through investigative journalism. In this regard, the scholarly counsel of Professor Des Wilson, of the Department of Communication Arts, University of Uyo and others which insist on factual and balanced reportage will suffice, before their illiteracy and ineptitude set the society in disarray.
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