Media career development advocate, Mr Lekan Otufodunrin, has urged journalists to uphold professionalism and abide by laws governing the media ahead of the 2027 general elections.
He also spoke on the need for the media to live up to the tasks of being defenders of the truth and information watchdogs — ahead, during and after the 2027 elections.
Speaking on Lagos Television (LTV) programme, The Conversation, on Monday, the 14th of May, Otufodunrin emphasised the role of media as “unbiased referees” — reporting primaries, watching candidates, ensuring factual news gets to the right audience.
“Most managers, organisations, and their owners need to hold their staff accountable. Once, I went for a media training where I asked how many of them had read the Code of Ethics for Journalists or knew the Broadcasting Code — none of them had read through it,” the media advocate recalled.
Otufodunrin said that there should be in-house training of media practitioners on the law, the election and transmission of information to the audience.
He called on the Nigeria Union of Journalists, the Nigeria Broadcasting Corporation, and the Guild of Editors to train and hold members of their bodies accountable as media practitioners.
“Trust is the major currency in whatever we do as media practitioners. And if we underplay that trust and descend to the level of random bloggers, influencers, we’re putting ourselves in a difficult situation,” he stated.
The veteran journalist held that the media should hold institutions like the Independent National Electoral Commission and political parties accountable.
On freedom of speech, he said, “Freedom is not absolute. Laws are in place to manage things. The constitution allows everyone to speak, but freedom also comes with responsibility.”
