2023 Elections: Broadcaster calls for unbiased reportage.

A media entrepreneur and broadcaster, Mr Gimba Umar, has urged journalists to be fair and impartial in their coverage of political parties and their actives before, during and after the 2023 general election.

At a news briefing in Ikeja, Mr Umar, the proprietor of Control TV and Radio, said the media must resist the temptation of taking sides with any of the political parties to report only favourable issues while maligning others.

“As Media Men, we must resist the ultimate temptation to be cowed forcing us to tilt towards one party reporting it favourably against the other; denying the Nigerian people the right to know the truth. We must act with the mind-set of the huge and enormous task we have signed up for,” said Mr Umar.

He said journalists could only do their jobs well now if they were professionals and put the country and ethics of the profession above other considerations.

Mr Umar, a seasoned broadcaster, said broadcasting required a greater need for professionalism due to the sensitivity of the medium and the strict regulation of the industry.

He explained that “the common denominator of codes is a professed loyalty to truth and accuracy and a concern for fairness and good taste. The media performs a watchdog role for citizens by scrutinizing and reporting on the recital concentration of power, of which the government is the most important player. To be credible, media must be socially responsible and ethical.”

While underscoring the problems associated with the ownership of the media and the need to perform its role as the fourth estate of the realm, Mr Umar noted that the “freer the press, the   greater   the   role   it   can   play   in   maintaining   democracy, providing   information   and contributing to a sound, stable government.”

The award-winning broadcaster said the Control TV and Radio platforms had leveraged the expertise of team members to deliver professional coverage of the 2023 elections.

“We are 11 time Winner of the Prestigious NMMA. With Bureaus in 5 states including Lagos, Kano, Ekiti, Osun, Rivers and the FCT, we are set to deliver programs that are youth centric in our bouquet of programs that captures interests of the youth women and children … the 2023 general elections will have a robust coverage across the country in no less than 19 states,” Mr Umar said.