The Ag. Director General, Prof. Armstrong Idachaba, today, attended a one-day workshop with the theme: ‘Peace Building and Promotion of Religious Tolerance’.
The event which was organised by the Catholic Media Practitioners of Nigeria in conjunction with the Muslim Media Practitioners of Nigeria took place at the Veritas University, Bwari, Abuja.
In a paper titled ‘Media as a tool for Social Change, Cohesion and Development’, Prof. Idachaba, noted that the media has been a veritable instrument of education, information, entertainment, orientation, shaper of public opinion, watchdog of the society, agenda setter, molder of society, bridge builder and even tool for propaganda.
He stressed that the media must ensure that even as it exercises its right to the freedom of expression as agents of society, caution must be taken to ensure that it does not manipulate the public for its personal or sectional rights and privileges to the detriment of national interest.
Prof. Idachaba further pointed out that Nigeria as a country has rich multi-cultural diversities, and these diversities connotes different views, attitudes, behaviours, religious beliefs and opinions. Therefore, the role of the media is to highlight these unique differences and harness the potentials of each for the collective good of all and in the national interest of our great country.
According to Idachaba, “On no account, should the media be seen to be portraying one group or community as superior to the other in order to avoid marginalization or ethnocentris”.
He added “the media at all times, should be a unifier rather than a divider in its reportage and programmes”.
The Ag. DG further reiterated the fact that the media must play the role of a “bridge builder” in times of conflict/crisis for the overall interest of the public and nation. Stressing that in performing this role, the media must build relationships, support greater cohesion and understanding between people who consider themselves different from one another in their reportage by ensuring that information sourced from various sources are verified in order to avoid escalation of conflict/crisis.
Idachaba also opined that the media is an indispensable tool in every developmental plan of a nation and the government needs the media to communicate its policies and actions to the public by educating and enlightening the citizenry. Likewise, the people also need a channel to air their grievances and aspirations for a better standard of living.
In conclusion, the Ag. Director General, urged media practitioners to always report basic, timely information in order to save the public from conflict/crisis and avoid any form of sensationalism.
The Ag. DG also used the opportunity to commend the Vice Chancellor for the huge investment in the Mass Communication Department and reiterated the Commission’s support to the University.
Six papers were presented. Each presentation ended with Questions/ Answers and comments.