Stakeholders Task Journalists On Ethics, Sanity In the Profession

By: Victoria Agorom

Stakeholders at the 2025 Annual Regional Workshop of the Nigeria Press Council (NPC) have tasked Nigerian journalists to uphold the ethics of the noble profession as they carry out their duties, while also calling for sanity in the trade, which, according to has been grossly bastardised.

Speaking during the event held at the Bingham University in Nasarawa State, the Executive Secretary of NPC, Dr. Dili Ezughah, said that Journalists, as key stakeholders in the nation, hold the key to peace and stability.

While exposing the theme of the Workshop held for the North Central Region: ‘Public Trust and Ethical Journalism in the Digital Age’, the Executive Secretary noted that the media is affected by a myriad of challenges including fake news, misinformation, information distortion and disinformation particularly in the cyber space which has eroded public trust in the media.

“The social responsibility theory of the press presents that the press, while enjoying enormous freedom of expression, has to be socially responsible,” he said.

Dr. Ezughah stated that the NPC, as a regulatory body, is charged with the responsibility of guiding and directing Journalists on the need to conform to ethics, adding that the importance of professional ethics cannot be overstated.

His words: The profession creates a peaceful environment for social change and champions social cohesion and national development, which resonates with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s desire for a free and responsible press under his Administration.”

“At NPC, our mandate consists of promoting high ethical standards among journalists, which we achieve through capacity building workshops and training, monitoring media content, and drawing attention to ethical breaches.”

In their different presentations, resource persons at the event unanimously charged participants as both scholars and stakeholders to ensure they operate within the ambit of the law and ethics of the profession, describing the media as critical stakeholders to expanding the frontiers of education in contemporary times.

Participants, while speaking to Abuja Digest, appreciated the Nigeria Press Council for organising the workshop, describing it as an eye-opener. They, however, called for more of such platforms, stating that it would help curtail the breaches prevalent among practitioners in recent times.

They also called on relevant authorities to wield their big sticks by sanitising the profession, saying that this will be a critical step towards redeeming the image of the noble profession.

Among the participants were staff of the Commission, journalists from government-owned media houses from the North Central Region, as well as Mass Communication students of the University.