The endless threats to journalism

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Metamorphose as surely as the line between traditional media and the new media thin out in obscurity in a st-century world.Sometimes the threats are not in what is done but in what is left undone. Who for instance, is following up the story about why Nigeria’s Chief Justice was removed in the office by an Exparte Motion? How the Code of Conduct Tribunal Chairman who issued the Exparte reportedly assaulted a security guard and termed the incident an attack by .

Bakassi Boys’? Who is investigating the content of the extremist views held by the Minister of  Buy Bulk SMS Service Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami? What are the collective or boomerang effects of these incidences on the fight against terrorism and insecurity or on the independence of the judiciary? Giving the multiple challenges and crises our country is living through, we must leave nothing is undone that needs to be done.

THINKING SOLUTIONSEvery threat provides an opportunity and when the most are made of the opportunity, it produces the desired outcome. The new or subsisting threats to media can largely be surmounted by the basic codes and canons of journalism like courage, truthfulness, accuracy, objectivity, impartiality, fairness, social justice and public accountability. I would, to those codes, add consistency in upholding values. All of these and more can be reduced into the clear identification of what is right and what is wrong and finding the courage to do that which is right in the media space.