The Federal Government has called on Nigerian media organisations to reduce the prominence given to terrorists, bandits and other criminal elements in news coverage, warning that excessive publicity risks amplifying their activities and undermining national security efforts.
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, made the appeal on Thursday in Abuja during a two-day National Security Summit organised by the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in collaboration with the Department of State Services (DSS).
Idris stressed the importance of responsible editorial judgement, urging journalists to be guided not only by what is newsworthy, but also by what is in the national interest.
“Yes, we have to do our work. We have to report whatever happens, but you must know that the best reporter, the best editor, is the one who knows what not to report in the interest of nation-building,” he said.
“Please, take these terrorists and criminals off your front pages. This is what they crave, free of charge. It saddens me when I see our front pages reporting the activities of these criminals while underplaying the achievements of our security agencies.”
He further argued that national stability is critical to the survival of the media industry itself, urging journalists to give greater visibility to the sacrifices and successes of security operatives across the country.
“We must have a Nigeria to report first before we can even have a union or any other media organisation. It is our collective responsibility to ensure that this nation survives,” he added.
