By Fred Chukwuelobe
I had a hot exchange with one guy who publishes an online newsletter called “Security Monitor.” The bone of contention was SaharaReporters exclusive story which alleged that there was a failed coup. He abused the publication and called it harbinger of fake news.
I told him that a quality journalist is not known by how many PR stories he writes for government but by the number of exclusive stories he writes. I challenged him to prove that Premium Times which also broke the story lied. He was belligerent and even accused me of being anti-government.
He said to me that “government has denied the story” and that he believed them. I asked him to read the DHQ statement and use his journalistic skills to interpret it, warning him never to expect government to admit such stories. We had some forth and back exchanges and I stood my ground .
Before I left him, I made him a promise: that when the government confirms by words or actions that, indeed, there was a failed coup, I’d return to him. That happened. I got back to him and he has not responded since then. Journalist! Publisher!
Now, the FCT Minister Ezenwo Nyesom Wike not only called a commissioned officer before the cameras “a fool,” he qualified the word with “big,” and in 24 hours called a press conference to deny he called him “a big fool.” Imagine if this was not captured by several cell phones’ cameras! Wike would have flatly denied it and the security monitors of this world would have lined behind him to lampoon their colleagues who correctly break news.
Don’t get me wrong. SaharaReporters can be reckless sometimes, just like its founder Omoyele Sowore. But, they have been known to have on several occasions broken news stories exclusively which turned out to be factual.
Wike upon realizing that he goofed by calling a commissioned officer “a fool” and that his gaffe was caught on tape, promptly banned his aides from following him about with cell phones. He knows he will goof again and that the cameras will record his gaffe. Unfortunately, for him, there are many cameras everywhere these days. If you’re in danger, people will first of all capture your situation on phone, share it, and then ask for help. Everybody is now a cameraman and a reporter put together.
So, my piece this morning is for those ‘social media journalists’ who now do the jobs of professional journalists to note that it’s not everything the government does that they will admit. Imagine if the FCT minister’s uncouth language was not caught on camera! Journalists who reported it would have been trolled by amateur and favour-seeking emergency publishers.
Afrobeat icon, late Fela Anikulapo Kuti, called it “government magic.” They do one thing and deny it. Then they take actions on the things they denied.
For Wike to deny before the cameras to have called the military officer “a fool”, something that was clearly caught on cameras and watched by the world, says a lot about his character and conducts.
He needs help.
NB: Fred Chukwuelobe, was a Special Assistant to former Governor of Anambra, Chris Ngige on Media and Publicity.
