15th March, 2018
Mr Yakubu Dati, Plateau Commissioner for Information and Communication, has charged journalists working in the state to make the promotion of peaceful co-existence a cardinal principle of their reportage.
“As newsmen, you have the power to make or mar the society; your reports will determine the action and direction of Plateau residents.
“I want to appeal to you to use that power positively so as to build a stable, united and peaceful society,” Dati said on Thursday in Jos.
Dati gave the charge when he received officials of the Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Plateau Council.
He said that the outside world relied solely on the media for information on all developments, and urged journalists never to abuse that privilege.
Noting that Plateau was currently facing some tough challenges, he urged journalists to contribute their quota toward a better state by focusing on the positive, rather than the negative.
“We must focus on the positive because when people are happy and go about their lawful businesses, all of us will equally be happy and do our work.
“As we strive to inform and educate members of the public, we should always weigh the effect of the information on the society we live in. This is very important,” he said.
He appealed to journalists to always balance their information by seeking government’s side on issues affecting it, before going public, noting that such privilege was a key aspect of media practice.
Dati commended the journalists for their resilience in the face of difficulties on the Plateau, saying that posterity would reward them handsomely.
Earlier, Mr Aminu Idegu, Chairman of the Correspondents Chapel, had congratulated Dati on his appointment as information commissioner, saying that he was indeed a round peg in a round hole.
“Journalists in Plateau had resorted to prayers because those appointed to serve in the information sector were not professionals and did not know how to respond to issues.
“Your appointment has replaced such pessimism with optimism. We believe our job will be made easier,” he said.
Idegu promised that the chapel would continue to support Dati to excel, and urged him to be accessible to journalists to ease their job.