This certainly is not the best of times for media practitioners everywhere in the world. With tales of vilification, hounding and repression against them continuing unabated, one may be tempted to see silence as the new order, such that staying mute, in no time may assume an unwritten rule status.
When this is achieved, I sincerely fear for what the society will become, as everyone would be left to the mercies of supporting our unfortunate plunge to the dark ages; little then wonder when the phrase "silence is golden" assumed a celebrated posturing in a society where people should be encouraged to speak up.
From attempts in the Far East at gagging the press, to moves in Nigeria to suppress the fourth estate of the realm, it has become common to hear that the "media is the society's watchdog", when it is seen to make report that fan the egos of an individual, official, outfit or organization.
How fast they lose the watchdog's status to be referred to as blackmailers, when they bring certain inane acts of the advantaged lots to the fore, to the benefit of the society and chagrin of those who herald and enjoy media patronages in the name of a newfound mischief called "PR", leaves so much to imagine.
January 6, 2017, was challenging. Barely two hours after the media space in Akwa Ibom State rallied solidarity to secure bail for one of their own, Nsibiet John, in a sedition charge leveled against him over a purported libelous publication his medium carried, another member of the media community, Jerry Edoho, was reportedly arrested and whisked to Abuja over a social media post he made on the phantom Dana Air crash.
The palpable fear the sensational post dealt members of the public notwithstanding, it is established Jerry Edoho may have gotten the report from some unreliable source, howbeit, he made an effort at retracting the post, putting the records straight and rightly apologized when he realized the post was misguiding.
Having done so, it was the place of Dana Air to have also refuted the story through their media directorate, which they rightly did, rather than explore the option of arrest, knowing this could more negatively affect their business to put them as an organization with no humane disposition when it comes to profit making.
Does it not surprise us that the same Dana Air that enjoyed the companionship of the media when its existence got really troubled and threatened due to the tragedy they suffered when the ill fated Lagos bound aircraft marked 5N-RAM crash landed at Ishaga in 2012, is already standing up against the media?
Cry me a river; this is no time to trade blames, but time to allow a little more concession. The hardship in this country has already gone life threatening; we need more of palliative than grandstanding, we need each other more than we ever felt.
Without raising a voice in support of unethical media practice, it is right to advice media practitioners to show restrain in their reportage, to avoid breaking news that may in turn break the society. The public must be seen to encourage journalists in their effort to unearth the moral decadence and misdemeanor that are prevalent in our today society.
While we look forward to rewarding partnerships, this is a clarion call on Dana Air to yield to the voice of reasoning and explore less harmful options, while those in the media circle should do well to live up to the founding ideals of the profession.
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