By Abiodun Israel
The pressure on sustaining media organizations has increased
tremendously in recent years. Worldwide, the growth of new media and distressed
national economies has all but rendered media outfits comatose, non-profitable,
or simply closed operations once their owners finally accept the reality of how
it has become impossible to survive.
Media organisations that had gone under in the past or that
are currently distressed are consequently pressured into finding creative ways
of staying relevant and afloat in the face of the challenges posed by the
internet and economic hardship. Some publications have lowered their standards
to be able to report the kind of sensational or unverified stories that are the
staples of some online media and blog posts. Others have resorted to published
sponsored contents as exclusive stories. Furthermore, reduction in staff
strength means that distressed publication not only lose the capacity to do
proper gatekeeping, it also means they are often forced to 'copy paste' PR
materials without making efforts verify claims contained in them.
These changes, which present ethical challenges, might be
understandable within the context of the survive or die phase in which media
organizations currently find themselves but it is inexcusable to further lower
the bar. It is the equivalent of falling from a high pedestal into a morass and
continuing digging to arrive in the cesspit.
"Nigeria Army: New Era of Impunity", the November
7, 2016 cover story of Tell magazine
adequately portrays this desperation that
is plaguing many media outfits. The magazine is apparently trying to return to
the kind of relevance it enjoyed in the military era when Nigerians wait with
bated breath to pick up its latest edition and read what was in those days
thought to be exclusive accounts of military misrule.
It is therefore not surprising that this particular cover
story, which actually read like an advertorial from dismissed military brasses,
failed to adequately disguise it sponsored nature, a paid for piece that is
mostly the rehash of the petitions for reinstatement from dismissed military
officials. Its only saving grace would have been the portions that quoted the
Army spokesperson's statement about why the affected persons were sacked but
even this was poorly quoted.
In the end, Tell only succeeded in outing itself as one of
those media platforms deployed for the destabilization plot against Nigeria.
With its background as one of those entities that sent the military back to the
barracks, one would have expected the magazine to show more tact in the quest
to earn some paltry naira for the purpose of staying afloat. But for a
publication that is already on its deathbed it would be out of place to think
that Tell is not out to drag Nigeria with it in its intensifying death spiral.
Its so called 'cover story' created the scare that the Army
is becoming an institution in which anything goes under President Muhammadu
Buhari. The article's opening salvo was in fact to the effect that there are
growing cases of extra-judicial killings committed by troops, which would have
been a a great report that drew attention to the issue of human rights –
especially the most critical one, the right to life. The publication however
lost the plot when instead of recognizing the deceased in its opening paragraph
as a human but opted to exploit his family's grief by casting him as a victim of ethnically
motivated troops.
This incitement to ethnic crisis was to be expounded
throughout the entire story. In making a
case for the sacked army officers, tell only saw persons that were persecuted
by the military service as opposed to men who violated their oaths of
allegiance to engage in corruption, partisanship, and other acts that warranted
disciplinary actions being taken against them. The only other instance cited in
the story to conclude on a growing Army impunity, the recovery of military land
in Maitama Extension, also has ethnic undertone since it had been reported by
publications that do due diligence that former President Goodluck Jonathan
allocated the said district to his cousin against security advice.
Right thinking citizens must express outrage at the open
promotion of divisive ethnic politics – in the military of all places. This
publication did not only allege that there has been ethnic purging or cleansing
in the army is has also recommended a roadmap for a purge in the future when
the army leadership of presidency evolve to another ethnic group. It has
basically endorsed corruption – in the military – so long as those engaging in
the act can plead ethnic persecution.
The endorsement of corruption ran through most of the
article leaving one wondering what the once revered publication was up to. Is
it suggesting that being of particular ethnic extraction should automatically
shield certain persons from the consequences of stealing public funds? Are we
supposed to now have two set of rules in fighting corruption: one for the
ethnic region in power and the other for those out of power?
More worrisome is Tell's decision to echo a not so brilliant
claim that those who did not cooperate in rigging the ruling All Progressives
Congress (APC) - then opposition party into power were the ones sacked. The
folks at Tell must somehow still have some strand of investigative skills left
to research what happened in the 2015 General Elections. Had the affected
persons' offence been a refusal to rig for the APC they would have been able to
come forward with evidence of who contact who to give the instruction to rig. Had
the sacked officers ensured neutrality in their conduct they would have proven
to be non-partisan and consequently enjoy the backing of Nigerians. But they
instead made themselves into partisan soldiers who rigged for the People's
Democratic Party (PDP). Had the PDP returned to power, would Tell have done an
exclusive report about how these sacked officers were rewarded with double
promotions?
It definitely would not have reported it. Same way it will
not do the decent thing by apologizing to its readers for its cheap attempt at
exonerating the immediate past administration for its historic failings. It
instead made it look like the impunity it inferred was the creation of
President Muhammadu Buhari. In other portions of the story the insinuation
appeared to be that the blame was that of the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt
Gen Tukur Buratai only for it to finally accuse the Ministry of Defence in the
closing paragraphs.
What tell sought to do in the referenced cover story was the
height of unethical in journalism – desperate bloggers that have been paid to
do hatchet jobs delivered more convincing fables than Tell Magazine did. They
at least tailor their tales by moonlight to wear the toga of believability and
objectivity. What Tell delivered to its clients instead was an outright opinion
piece that would have won an award if it were published under the opinion
section and not the magazine's flagship story, which used to be so compelling
as to coerce policy shift under the military government.
As opposed to resorting to sensationalism to get relevance
or surviving on advertorials disguised as investigative pieces, Tell Magazine
may want to audit its editorial staff for rabid ethnic bias as well and that is
if the author of the said story blindsided the command structure in the media
organization.
They need to be able to sit down and review their cover
story for the purpose of apologizing to those they have maligned with its
publication. This step would be a bitter pill to swallow but it will at least
show that there may be some good left in the distressed magazine and that their
recognition of fallen ethical and editorial standards will prompt a revamp that
would prevent a repeat of this kind of shameful outing.
If this is not the case then the folks behind the magazine
should accept that the publication is well past its sell by date and they
should allow it peacefully transit into the category of blogsites deployed for
blackmailing extorting politically exposed persons.
Abiodun a public affairs analyst writes from Ibadan, Oyo
State
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