Dons Eze
MEDIA OMBUDSMAN RULES AGAINST DAILY TRUST FOR FALSE REPORTAGE OF SAMOA AGREEMENT
In view of the complaint by the government of Nigeria filed against daily trust newspapers regarding their coverage of the Samoa Agreement, the National Media Complaints Commission has ruled against daily trust while asking the newspaper to apologise publicly for its inaccurate and wrong reportage of the content of the Samoa agreement. This was contained in a report published after a lengthy investigation into the issue by the commission involving all parties.
According to the NMCC, the Commission remains committed to providing the public with an independent forum for resolving complaints about the media, resolving all complaints speedily and fairly, with a view to maintaining high standards of journalism practice and journalistic ethics, and defending the freedom of the press and the rights of the people to know.
DETAILS OF THE INVESTIGATION:
According to the report, “it was, therefore, inaccurate and wrong for the Daily Trust to state in its reporting that the agreement contained clauses compelling underdeveloped and developing nations to support the agitations by LGBTQ community, especially also in the light of the fact that it noted in the same news report of July 4, 2024 that when the newspaper contacted Mr. Bolaji Adebiyi, media assistant to the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Alhaji Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, it was clearly told that “nowhere in the documents (Agreement) were LGBTQ or same sex marriage mentioned even remotely”.
Given this rebuttal of the thrust of the news story, since the Daily Trust had apparently decided to go ahead with its reporting as borne out by its publication, and had evidence to the contrary, the newspaper should have said so in its report and cited the relevant portion or portions of the Samoa Agreement to back up this assertion.
Whilst the Daily Trust may be commended for its healthy interest in a story of national and global importance as provided for in Article 2.5 and 2.7 of the Code of Ethics, the same cannot be said for its performance with respect to the other provisions of the relevant portions of the Code, namely Article: 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, and 2.8.
Accordingly, we find that the article complained about was not factual, accurate, balanced, and fair, and therefore, violated Article 2.1 of the Revised Code of Ethics, 2022.
The Daily Trust report of July 4, 2024, also flouted Article 2.2. The plea that it was unsure of the version of the Samoa Agreement signed by the federal government cannot avail it, as the Daily Trust did not advance any argument that it sought for a copy of the signed Samoa Agreement from the Complainant, and it was denied, nor did its reporting indicate that it independently sourced it before its publication of July 4, 2024.
The Daily Trust also did not present to the NMCC any version of the Samoa Agreement that supported the assertions contained in its July 4, 2024 story on the issue. On the contrary, the copy of the Samoa Agreement submitted to the NMCC by the Daily Trust is the same version of the Agreement submitted by the Federal Government, which contained no reference whatsoever to the issue of LGBTQ.
In this regard, the article was hasty, inaccurate, and misleading, contrary to the due diligence that Article 2.2 prescribes. Even after being informed of the inaccuracy and misleading nature of the report, the Daily Trust failed to promptly publish a correction.
We find that the Daily Trust violated Article 2.3 of the Revised Code of Ethics, 2022 as it did not discharge its duty to report as accurately as possible.
To the extent that the Daily Trust did not make any appreciable effort to establish the relevant facts in its reporting and seemed to substitute the opinions of its sources for the facts, we find that it breached Article 2.8 of the Revised Code of Ethics, 2022.
Overall, the reporting offered by the Daily Trust fell short of the standards expected in the journalism profession as contained in the 2022 Revised Code of Ethics for Nigerian Journalists. We also find that its reporting on such a subject with significant sensitivity in Nigeria was below its acclaimed professional standard. It should not have taken more than two months for the Daily Trust to determine that its action was blameworthy and take remedial steps in accordance with the requirements of the 2022 Revised Code of Conduct for Nigerian Journalists.
The NMCC also advised the government that Transparency and accountability are crucial aspects of the democratic process, including for the purpose of earning and enjoying public trust. The commission said that it would certainly have helped to inform the public about the Agreement much earlier with copies of it made publicly available for those who are interested in more details to access and read. Such an approach would have helped in avoiding the attendant conjectures and speculations, which become inevitable when the people feel that they have been denied the right to know.
In this digital age, the lesson here should be that proactivity in information dissemination across all offices of the government and all tiers of government on matters of public interest is a non-negotiable element of democratic governance. The government and all its institutions have an obligation to abolish the prevailing culture of secrecy in governance, as it gives the impression that government holds its citizens in contempt. Instead, the government should take deliberate steps to create a knowledge society and bring about the emergence of an informed and active citizenry.
RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE COMMISSION
In the light of the above, the NMCC directs that the Daily Trust newspaper takes appropriate remedial action and, in particular, do the following:
Publish the report of the NMCC in this matter within seven days of receiving it.
The NMCC also commended the Complainant and the Respondent for submitting themselves to the co-regulatory mechanism offered by the National Media Complaints Commission.
By Clement A. Oloyede
The National Media Complaints Commission (NMCC), also known as the Ombudsman, Monday released the report of its investigation into a complaint made to it against the Daily Trust by the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation.
The commission, in its 19-page report, said after scrutinising the complaint of the government, as well as the response of the newspaper, which it had sought and obtained, found the Daily Trust story complained about as “inaccurate”.
The NMCC, however, also accused the federal government of poor handling of issues around the Samoa Agreement it signed, stating that had the government demonstrated “greater openness, transparency and accountability” in dealing with matters relating to the deal, “the attendant conjectures and speculations about the content of the Samoa Agreement could have been avoided.”
The ombudsman, nonetheless, asked the Daily Trust to issue an apology for the inaccuracies in its report on the Samoa Agreement.
The NMCC, chaired by Emeka Izeze, former Managing Director of The Guardian, has among its members, a former president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mr A. B. Mahmoud (SAN); a Deputy Vice Chancellor of Paul University, Awka, Anambra State, Prof. Chinyere Stella Okunna; the Editor-in-Chief of Diamond Publication, Mr Lanre Idowu; and the Executive Director of Media Rights Agenda (MRA), Mr Edetaen Ojo.
Other members of the body are Mrs. Dupe Ajayi-Gbadebo, a journalist, lawyer and arbitrator; Mrs. Eugenia Abu, broadcaster, author, columnist and former Executive Director, Programmes at the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA); and Dr. Hussain Abdu, the Country Director of Care International (Nigeria).
In its verdict, the NMCC ruled that Daily Trust failed to meet journalistic standards as stipulated in the 2022 Revised Code of Ethics for Nigerian Journalists, stressing that the newspaper’s report complained about, which was published on July 4, 2024, was found to be inaccurate, particularly in suggesting that the Samoa Agreement contained provisions relating to the LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer) rights.
The government’s original complaint, submitted by Dr Ngozi Onwudiwe, Permanent Secretary of the information ministry alleged that the report posed a threat to national security.
In its ruling, the Ombudsman found that the article complained about was inaccurate, and that it violated Article 2.1 of the Revised Code of Journalism Ethics, 2022.
It, therefore, directed Daily Trust to issue an apology in both its print and online editions, and that it should take internal editorial steps to prevent future occurrence.
Commends FG, Daily Trust over faith in commission
The Ombudsman, in the report, commended the complainant (the federal government) and the respondent (Daily Trust) “For submitting themselves to the co-regulatory mechanism offered by the National Media Complaints Commission.”
It also said that: “Whilst the Daily Trust may be commended for its healthy interest in a story of national and global importance as provided for in Articles 2.5 and 2.7 of the Code of Ethics, the same cannot be said for its performance with respect to the other provisions of the relevant portions of the Code, namely Articles 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, and 2.8.”
The Ombudsman said its investigation revealed that the Samoa Agreement did not, in fact, contain any clauses relating to LGBTQ issues.
The commission cited a briefing document from the European Parliamentary Research Service, noting that while earlier drafts of the agreement referenced contentious issues such as sexual orientation and gender identity, the final signed version excluded such provisions.
“The NMCC finds that the 403-page Samoa Agreement does not in fact contain any clause that compels underdeveloped and developing nations to support the agitations by the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) community for recognition as a condition for getting financial and other supports from advanced nations. Indeed, there is no reference whatsoever in the agreement to the issue of LGBTQ,” the report stated.
FG must be transparent
Furthermore, the NMCC criticised the federal government’s lack of transparency in handling issues relating to the Samoa Agreement.
According to the commission, “This controversy could have been avoided if the government had been more forthcoming on the Samoa Agreement by proactively announcing to the Nigerian people that the federal government had signed the agreement as well as explaining the essentials, implications and benefits of the agreement to the country and to the Nigerian people shortly after it signed the document.”
The Ombudsman stressed the need for improved public communication from the government, warning that secrecy erodes public trust.
“Transparency and accountability are crucial aspects of the democratic process, including for the purpose of earning and enjoying public trust. It would certainly have helped to inform the public about the agreement much earlier, with copies of it made publicly available for those who are interested in more details to access and read,” it said.
The NMCC closed its report with a strong recommendation for the government to adopt a more open and proactive approach to information dissemination, particularly in matters of public interest.
“In this digital age, the lesson here should be that proactivity in information dissemination across all offices of the government and all tiers of government on matters of public interest is a non-negotiable element of democratic governance.
“The government and all its institutions have an obligation to abolish the prevailing culture of secrecy in governance, as it gives the impression that government holds its citizens in contempt,” the commission said.
Accept without equivocation that its reporting on the issue in question was inaccurate and misleading as its treatment of the report showed a lapse in news judgement and fell short of the expected standards of the 2022 Revised Code of Ethics for Nigerian Journalists.
Publish an apology prominently in both the print and online editions of the Daily Trust.
Take the necessary internal editorial measures to prevent a future occurrence.
