The Chairman of the Association of Online and Social Media Practitioners of Nigeria (AMPON), Mr. Wole Arisekola, has advised journalists to await the official announcement of election results by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) before reporting the outcome of the forthcoming elections.
Arisekola gave the advice on Saturday in Lagos while speaking with international journalists who are in Nigeria to monitor the forthcoming presidential election.
He said the media had a critical role to play in ensuring that the elections were reported accurately, fairly and responsibly, noting that the 2015 elections were among the most interesting and keenly contested in the country’s history.
“Events around the 2015 elections are probably some of the most interesting, heated and pulse-raising in the history of Nigeria. There have been plenty of issues to argue about and anxiety everywhere.
“The elections will come and go, but what should be the roles of the media in all of these? Our role should be how best to announce genuine results in a balanced and fair way in order to allow for peace to reign after the whole process.
“Let us be mindful of the important tasks before us. We are the windows to the world, and whatever we say always has a lasting effect.
“There will always be issues, but how we report those issues will go a long way in giving us the Nigeria of our dreams. Let us be unbiased in our views and in how we put those news items out to the world.
“The most important part is that conclusions on news reportage should be based on facts, not the outlook of the reporter. Journalism is about giving citizens information about public affairs that is as accurate as possible.”
Arisekola also reminded journalists of the enormous trust Nigerians place in the media, warning that unconfirmed reports could further heat up the polity during the election period.
“We are the overseers of Nigeria’s public broadcasting operations. We should therefore devote more time and attention to complete news and results during and after the election.
“People trust us with what they hear. We should not betray that trust by setting people against themselves with what we put out to the public,” he appealed.
While commending Google Nigeria for its efforts in sensitising journalists on responsible and effective election reporting, Arisekola reiterated some of the issues discussed at a recent workshop organised by the technology company.
He noted that Google Nigeria had tasked the media on the use of modern data tools to enhance effective reportage, particularly during the forthcoming general elections.
According to him, Mr. Taiwo Kola-Ogunlade, Google’s Communications and Public Affairs Manager, made the appeal at the Google Data Tools for Elections Reporting Workshop held in Lagos.
He said the workshop highlighted useful tools, including Google Advanced Search, Google Trends and social media streams, which could assist journalists in sourcing and verifying information.
Arisekola added that such tools would help journalists obtain a clearer picture of events occurring at particular times and in different locations, thereby enabling them to provide the public with timely, accurate and responsible reports.
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