Femi Gbajabiamila, Speaker of the House of Representatives has urged the media to always expose the ills in the National Assembly for the sake of accountability and transparency.
Gbajabiamila however, emphasized the need for investigative journalism that is devoid of speculation which usually sparked anger among the constituents legislators represent, adding that there are unintended consequences when journalists are inaccurate and untruthful in their reports.
The Speaker gave these indications while addressing Members of the House of Representatives Press Corps during a familiarization visit at the National Assembly Complex, Abuja.
He said, “it is not every time that the National Assembly can be rebuffing. It shows a disconnect when we are supposed to be working together. That is not to say that you should only be reporting positive stories about the House. No. This is the part of checks and balances.
“If there is anything negative, by all means don’t waste time, don’t hesitate, report it. But imbibe the culture of investigative journalism and not speculative journalism that will sometimes say nothing but flames the anger of the constituents.
“There are unintended consequences when you do that. Some of these unintended consequences can even lead to something very drastic. It is a duty or responsibility on our part that we report accurately and report the truth”.
While admonishing reporters covering the House on responsible journalism, Gbajabiamila said, “I am going to charge you, we have to be very honest to ourselves. Reporting sometimes is not accurate as it should. I know every profession has its ethics and I implore that you continue to stick to these practical considerations as much as you can.
“Sometimes you see screaming headline and if you read the story, it has no relationship with whatsoever with the headline. Sometimes you see anonymous sources for stories that are negative that have no semblance of the truth. Unfortunately, once you report, your reports are read by millions of people”.
Calling for the collaboration of the media in the task of moving the country forward, the Speaker noted that, “nation building is a joint task not just about the Members, it also includes those of you in the fourth Estate of the Realm.
“We will be working together and working together means a lot of things. It means that we are going to be developing Nigeria together. You are an intricate part of the business of lawmaking, that is why you are called the fourth Estate of the Realm. Your reporting is extremely crucial when it comes to nation building”.
James Kwen, Abuja
