The power of the media has been recognized in relations to government since it inception, it's enormous power of influence through agenda setting, status conferral, surveillance and entertainment functions can never be underrated.
Taking into cognizance it's indisposable fits, theories have been propouded to check mate it's discharge of functions in order to create a collaboration with the government towards acheiving a growing social economic society.
The aim of social responsibility of the media therefore is geared toward ensuring balance, fairness, accurate and objective reporting as events are unfolding in the society. This will definitely satisfy the information need of the people and also keep them abreast of all the policies, action plans and individual duty as a citizen of the nation.
However, the Media Should be mindful of controversial reportage capable of causing unrest and indicting one group or religion against another in as much as they are hungry for news. The Media is one of the powerholds of every nation/ country or even more with the presence of the social media. As such, their report and news interpretation should be conscious of societal unionism, peace and religious harmony as their core value.
The social media content creators in most cases are too careless and selfish dousing out biased and one sided opinions in this market placeof ideas. No regulation is required though, but a civilized society like the one Nigeria is becoming should definitely consider peace, security of lives and property, economic impact, political unrest, peaceful coexistence, religious hostiliy and the host of other factors before giving an issue some level of prominence in the media. This call on every individual citizen too because citizen journalism has come to stay.
What prompt this piece was the recent press conference by the chairman, Taraba State Muslim council, Rtd. Abdulmumin Abubakar, According to the claims, he said, "The Council has noted with sadness and dismay the gradual purging of Muslims at all levels of governance and civil service by the current administration of His Excellency Governor Darius Ishaku as the governor of Taraba state".
It is obvious that those claims are calculated attack and mischievous statement targeted to pollute the the minds of the people of Taraba state and to bring enemity between the two religions in the country.
The truth of the matter is that, religious or ethnicity is not the basis for leadership or determinant of political appointments and should not be in any form of leadership in the state or the nation at large and governor Darius Ishaku is not bias neither using religious or ethnicity to determine his dealings over the years.
It's suprises me to know that Sheikh Gumi the herdsmen, bandits intercessor and advocate is no longer trending in the our media again, both traditional and social media took advantage of his unpopular opinion about the activity of bandits, herdsmen and even terrorists in Nigeria. The effects is that fear, enemity, religious hostility and political divide were created by giving such opinions prominence in the media.
Note this, the media has the power to set agenda, this means they make popular or otherwise anything they want to. This has stopped because more juicy areas of interest is here in a jiffy "2023 election". So you will see media organizations will be offering Even by requesting interview from people who are never trained followers, some with disastrous antecedent of leadership. Thereby will be publishing different harsh and unpopular statement from selfish politicians all because they have the money to pay the media.
The masses should not be misled by bondwagon statement capable of indicting one group or sect against the other, afterall religion were never born with us, we are first related before belief system which gave birth to religion came to separate us. Nigerians must wise up this time.
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