Richard Akinola, Chair, Media Law Centre writes on the controversy over the claim by leader of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria that he was misquoted by some newspapers.
For the uninitiated, who don’t know how news reports are processed, the usual refrain is to stereotype the media in an uncomplimentary pigeon hole.
I am writing this in respect of the apology tendered by the Premium Times on the Plateau crisis. Suffice it to say that at least, four other national newspapers carried the same story. But the premium times is being singled out for pillory.
My take on the development is that though the Miyetti Allah Chairman of North-Central Zone of the association, Danladi Ciroma claimed he was misquoted, there is a possibility that he actually said what was published but recanted after seeing the reaction of his supposed statement.
Conversely, it is possible he was actually misquoted. Unfortunately, the reporter did not record the interview. It often happens that subjects of interviews recant and and claim that they were misquoted after seeing the implications of what they said at the heat of the moment. That is why it is imperative for reporters to always have interviews recorded for the purpose of evidence. One example would suffice.
During the Gowon regime (if l am not mistaken), Mr Jola Ogunlusi, who later became the National Secretary of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, was a reporter at the New Nigerian newspaper.
Bishop Olubunmi Okogie called a press conference which Mr Ogunlusi covered as a reporter. Okogie came with a handwritten text of the press conference, where he made scathing attacks against the government.
The text of the conference was not given to the reporters. They merely jotted down what he said. It was the front page lead story in the New Nigeria next day.
Faced with the backlash of his press conference, Okogie denied ever saying what was published. Ogunlusi’s news editor confronted him with Okogie’s rebuttal. He was in a dilemma because he was sure the man was correctly quoted.
Pronto, he scurried to Okogie’s office, where, thankfully, his secretary was Ogunlusi’s friend. He explained his dilemma, that his job was on the line. He pleaded with his friend to avail him the handwritten text. It was a tall order. But the Secretary, who was sure his boss actually made the contentious comments, sneaked into his boss’s drawer, gave Ogunlusi the text to go photocopy.
The next day, New Nigeria published the bromide of the text and stated that it stood by its story. And Okogie couldn’t sustain his line of rebuttal.
The lesson there was that if Ogunlusi had not laid his hands on the text of the press conference, he would have been fired and the newspaper would of course, have apologised.
The greater lesson for journalists is to record your interviews, particularly controversial ones.
Unfortunately, many commentators, are just lampooning the press out of political interests, without understanding the nuances and processes that gird news publications.
It was the way some commentators few weeks ago, ignorantly lampooned the government for allegedly withdrawing corruption charges against former Abia state governor, Orji Kalu. The prosecution had closed its case in the trial and without understanding what was meant by prosecution closing its case, they went to town that the corruption charges had been withdrawn.
Many people talk out of ignorance or political mischief. That does not in anyway exculpate the media in terms of certain excesses.