Journalists in Delta state turned out from their various media organizations to celebrate this year’s World Press Freedom Day.
The event, with the theme : “Media For Democracy; Journalism and Elections In Times of Disinformation”, took place at the NUJ Press Centre, Asaba.
The state chairman of the NUJ, Comrade Mike Ikeogwu, said it was necessary to set aside a day to celebrate the fundamental principles of press freedom, appraise the state of press freedom around the world, defend the media from attacks on their independence and pay tribute to journalists who had paid the supreme price in the line of duty.
Comrade Ikeogwu appreciated the key role of the media in the sustenance of democracy and made a case for enhanced welfare for practicing journalists in Delta state.
He blamed the spread of fake news in the country on the influx of quacks on the social media and vowed that the state council of the union would clampdown on quacks to bring sanity to the profession.
The state NUJ chairman, who charged members of the union to insist on verifying their reports before publishing to guard against fake news, urged them to uphold the ethics of the profession in order to sustain the prevailing peace and development in the state.
For her part, the state chairman of the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), Comrade Patricia Gbemudu, called for a halt to abuses and violence against practicing journalists to enable them to perform their role as watchdogs of the society.
Meanwhile, the National Coordinator, Centre for Peace and Environmental Justice (CEPEJ), Comrade Sheriff Mulade, has commended journalists for the professional coverage of the 2019 general election which helped to douse tension in the country.
Comrade Mulade enjoined the regulatory bodies of journalism practice in the country to intensify the fight against quackery in the profession and urged journalists to use their reports to promote peace and unity in the country.
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