In a bid to sustain the adherence to the journalism code of ethics in the media practice in Kano state, Stallion Times, a media organization has engaged journalists in the state in a one-day workshop on the code of ethics for journalists.
The workshop which focused on the principles which guide the upright practice of journalism was an upshot of the Get Involved, Dialogue and Improve Project (G-DRIP) was supported by the Wole Soyinka Center for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) and funded by MacArthur Foundation.
Isyaku Ahmed, the Editor-in-chief and Chief Executive Officer of stallion times media services, the publishers of stallion times newspaper, while speaking said that G-DRIP is a 3year project which stallion times is taking to train journalists in media literacy and investigative journalism.
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“What we did today is the first training in Kano, titled code of ethics in journalism. To us, it is the entry point of the training.
‘’The journalism profession has no Constitution and therefore the code of ethics can guide them as we provoke discussions from several media practitioners from radio stations, online and print media representatives all in the public interest.” He said.
The presentation on the Code of Ethics was given by Adamu S. Ladan a media expert who discussed the various ethics to follow as journalists, sharing experience on media ethics and ethical concerns among journalists.
He noted the ill practices which bedevil professionalism in the practice of journalism such as ‘’using unreliable sources, brown envelope syndrome, sensational headlines and other unethical practices.
‘’Abiding by the codes of ethics would enable journalists to overcome challenges which will also create trustworthy mixed media content for readers and viewers across all mass media platforms.
‘’In this changing media landscape, any media organization that still believes it can do things the archaic manner and remain relevant should have a rethink.’’ He stressed.
Comrade Abba Sani, the CEO of Timebase TV who was a participant in the training, expressed his gratitude to Mac Arthur Foundation and Stallion Times for organising the workshop, stating that it was ‘’timely and has passed enough reminder and training as it has completed its essence.’’
Other participants at the training pointed out various areas to strengthen the practice of journalism, indicating that incentives and better remuneration motivate journalists to work seamlessly, highlighting security for journalists in cases of investigative reporting.
