By Umar Sa’id Baúchi
Journalists in Baúchi State have been advised to engage in fact checking journalism in trying to contribute towards good governance in the state.
The advice was given by the State new Commissioner of Information and Communication Alhaji Usman Shehu while receiving executive members of the Nigeria Union of Journalists NUJ who paid him a courtesy visit in his office.
He emphasised the importance of fact-checking in journalism as the best in trying to present factual information to the public as well as to encourage good governance in the state.
He observed that the existing of quacks in the journalism profession who lacks professional qualifications has made it challenging for people to distinguish between fake and genuine news.
The Information Commissioner therefore tasked journalists to always cross check and verify the accuracy of news before publishing or broadcasting it.
He stressed that the NUJ has a responsibility to police its members and ensure they adhere to ethical standards, respect the importance of training and retraining, and prioritise fact-checking as the best solution to spreading fake news.
The Commissioner pledged that his administration would prioritise staff recruitment and training, recognising the need for enhanced capacity building in the profession.
He also acknowledged the challenges faced by casual workers in state-owned media organizations, including Bauchi State Television (BATV) and Bauchi State Radio Cooperation (BRC) and promised to provide solutions to that.
Earlier, speaking the Chairman of the NUJ, Comrade Umar Sa’idu, congratulated the Commissioner on his appointment and submitted a comprehensive report highlighting the challenges faced by state-owned media houses provided by the Council through the Inuwa Bello committee.
He called on the Commissioner to initiate the employment of casual workers in the two state owned media organizations to become permanent staff, having served for between 5 – 10 years.
The chairman promised to collaborate with the ministry of Information on the training and retraining of its staff to promote professionalism.
