Management of Nigeria’s young but fast growing online newspaper, The DEFENDER has said that it is in business to ensure true and patriotic journalism for the love of country.
The media organisation, which spoke through its General Editor, Mr. Kemi Kasumu, on Wednesday, in Abuja, expressed concern that many Nigerians still do not have capacity for deciphering when news contents are authentic from when they are fake, hate or dangerous rumours.
It however assured its increasing reading public both within and outside Nigeria of its continued resolve to stick to ethics of real journalism without allowing itself to be pushed by whatever influence other than the influence necessitated by national interest and collective good and peaceful co-existence of Nigerians, adding that Nigerians of various religious and ethnic backgrounds deserve equal right and that, with it, they will get it.
The media organisation, which admitted that online journalism is more tedious to manage than thought, wondered that in some of the feedbacks it received some people sometimes accused it of being pro-government, whereas it said people should rather than seeing it as pro-government change such perception to being pro-Nigeria.
It insisted that as Fourth Estate of Realm, the Nigeria Media profession to which it belongs, like Judiciary and Legislature, is supposed to be partner in moving Nigeria forward for the general good and not to be in conflict with government or team up with looters or criminal killers or hate speech preachers against the government, especially when the government in office is known for doing better than the nation has ever had.
It said it does not pretend about his purpose in the practice.
“Our reply now is this; does Nigeria have any other eyes other than the government? No. If so, then it is the duty of all of us to ensure the eyes of Nigeria do not go blind. Or, why should we be part of any conspiracy whatsoever to collapse that government when we know that the only leading light to our destination of choice it represents?
“We will therefore continue to encourage our governments, especially those that have qualities required of leading us to our collective destination of choice either as Federal, states or local councils, to enable them the peace of the mind to lead us well.”
It clarified, “We are the only of the Estates bequeathed with biggest opportunity to investigate anybody including the immunity carrying President, his Vice, governors and their deputies. The Nigerian society where we operate is safe haven for freedom of the press. We will therefore carryout our checks of the government including the legislature and the judiciary but within the reasonable means that is constructive and not destructive.
“Our duty is to let the government know what they are doing well, what they are doing well but not doing enough. While doing that, we must also not shy away from letting the society know that duty is not only of government but also of the people.”
The media company said, “We are delighted to be afforded this great opportunity to enlighten Nigerians that we cannot possibly be pushed into conflict or opposition with government just like we cannot be pushed by the government against the will of the people. But we are nose-on-the-ground always and we know that the government of the day is the government installed by well meaning Nigerian people. Whatever the next direction of our patriotic journalism will be, it will come by the same people whose interest serve currently and that will be decided at the polls. This is the guiding principle for all the Estates of the Realm as enshrined in the Constitution.
“So, we have a duty to help the people nurture that government which is their own. This is the reason, now after years of blaming the problem of the country on bad leadership and now that, that good leadership Nigerians requested from God is here, we have refused to listen to the looters who for a long time have restricted chances of accessing good life only to people with opportunity of being close to corridors of power. Access to good life must be open to all without one seeking help of other.
“We are aware of our responsibility as journalists and as media organisation. We are also aware of the fact that when any society lives in peace, tranquility and better security situation, the media of that society deserve a pat on their back, just as they must be held responsible for the chaotic situation that the society faces.
“Therefore, because we are first and foremost Nigerians before we are journalists and that we do know for sure that only in situation of peace we can practice our profession without fear, we have chosen to stand with whatever effort is being made to restore the Nigeria of our dream and that is what we are doing at The DEFENDER ‘…defending the truth and national integrity.’
“We are therefore not pretending about this responsibility. And it is the reason we call on Nigerian reading public, who want the news contents that they can read and rely upon with confidence and can make reference to as authentic, to come with us and stand with us. That is what we do on www.thedefenderngr.com.” The DEFENDER management said.
It however called on well-to-do Nigerians home and abroad who are in business and in social life to support The DEFENDER with business, while calling on the Federal Government to do something about proliferation of internet junks through which the country is being drifted towards conflict by unpatriotic, self-centred members of the society, and the government, it said, should do this with a view to streamlining online journalism for efficiency and fake-free purposes that Nigerians may be rightly informed.
The government, it added, should also work out a legal backing that will make online journalism more respected as, according to the editor, “The thought about online media not being accepted as evidence in court makes us feel inferior even when we – in our own media organisation – are certain we are doing brilliantly well.
“In the last two years of our take off, we have made our immense contributions in a way that has helped shape the direction of thoughts in the society and so we need the government to work out a legal framework that will empower online media the more, which must be efficient enough to separate the serious from the unserious.”
