The Chairman of Isoko South Local Government Council, Comrade Ovoke Friday Warri has challenged Journalists in Nigeria to uphold the tenets and ethics of the journalism profession whenever they are discharging their duties.
The Local Government Chairman gave the charge last Tuesday when members of Isoko Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) paid him a courtesy visit in his office at Oleh.
He urged them to see journalism as a noble profession which should focus more on investigations to get more facts that would give their stories credibility in the course of their reportage.
The Council Boss who decried and described the prevalence of fake news and ‘pull him down syndrome’ journalism as inimical to progress and development of any society, advised journalists to always balance their stories before publication.
According to him, “your visit today is timely and very important, I am a media friendly person; I was part of the era of the Social Media Advocacy in Isoko that gave birth to Umeh Need Road Forum (UNR).”
“As the Fourth Estate of the Realm, the press should always endeavor to be objective by verifying their facts and balance their stories before going to press to help propagate the activities of the Council in the right perspective”.
He commended members of Isoko Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), for raising the bar of journalism in Isoko nation and the state.
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The Chairman however, pledged to synergise with the journalists as partners in progress with the view of enthroning and discharging the dividend of democracy at the Local Government level.
Earlier, the Chairman of the Isoko Chapel of Nigeria Union of Journalists, Comrade Michael Ilaya had intimated the Council Chairman on the importance of partnering with the body of qualified journalists to give him the needed publicity of his policies and programmes.
Comrade Ilaya however, solicited the Council Chairman’s patronage of Isoko Chapel journalists to always beckon on the Chapel whenever activities come up in the Local Government for mutually beneficial progress.
Meanwhile the ex-chairman and leader of the Isoko Chapel, Comrade Emmanuel Ekebe thanked the Council Chairman for creating the atmosphere for the visit, noting that he knows the chairman to be a press friendly personality, and affirmed that the union will play its role in synergising with the Local Government in their activities.
Present during the courtesy visit were Comrade Jonadab Edede, NUJ Vice Chairman, Matthew Unyove Secretary, Kelvin Ohoror, Financial Secretary, Warri Enriques, Auditor and Michael Ekokoruwe member.