Endorsing the Thought
Adeniran Abiodun’s reflections on “The Danger of a Corrupt and Hungry Media” pierce through the moral fog of our time. His concern is not about the media as an institution but about the spirit that drives it — the hunger that has replaced truth with traffic, and conscience with contracts. His words echo the lament of societies where journalism has shifted from being a watchdog to a war dog — unleashed by whoever pays the higher price.
Indeed, when truth becomes transactional, journalism becomes prostitution by another name. The sacred power of the tongue and pen, once dedicated to defending justice, becomes the very tool used to bury it.
The Apostolic Perspective: The Office of the Scribes
In the Scriptures, the scribes were custodians of truth and history. Their duty was to record events faithfully — preserving not just facts but divine order in the affairs of men. Ezra was called “a ready scribe in the law of the Lord” (Ezra 7:6). His pen was not for profit but for posterity. The chroniclers of Israel wrote not to please kings but to please God who “searches the heart and tests the mind.”
In this Apostolic light, the journalist is today’s scribe — called not just to inform, but to preserve truth for coming generations. When scribes became corrupt in Israel, they misled kings and polluted generations; when journalists become corrupt today, they mislead nations and darken destinies.
Jesus Himself warned of false scribes who “devour widows’ houses and for a show make long prayers” (Mark 12:40). In our time, they are those who devour reputations and for a show make long headlines. The pen, divorced from purpose, becomes a sword against the soul of the nation.
From Media Freedom to Media Poverty
Nigeria’s journey to democracy was first fought — and won — in the media. Before there was June 12, there was May 29 in print and broadcast. Journalists like Dele Giwa, Gani Fawehinmi, and Beko Ransome-Kuti were prophets with pens, apostles of conscience who chronicled tyranny into defeat. It was the voice of the free press that inspired the march to the barracks and the dawn of democratic governance.
But the descent into the current abyss was not accidental. It was systematically engineered.
First, the elite class made honest journalism unprofitable. They withdrew investment from truth and poured it into propaganda. Then came the military, who seized control of both narrative and newsroom. By the time “press freedom” was declared, the media space was already pauperized — a field of hungry scribes, fed not by conviction but by convenience.
A hungry media cannot be a free media. A starving journalist cannot speak truth to power; he will speak power to truth — twisting facts to favor his next meal.
The Consequences
When the media becomes compromised:
Truth becomes relative.
Facts are edited to fit sponsors’ moods. Lies wear the garments of headlines.
Public trust collapses.
Citizens no longer believe reports; they believe rumors.
Democracy suffers.
Without an informed citizenry, elections become rituals of deception.
Justice becomes impossible.
If the storyteller lies, the judge will err; if the historian bends, the nation breaks.
Pathways to Redemption
Reforming the media requires both moral and structural renewal. We must treat journalists not merely as content producers but as custodians of national conscience. Here are clear solutions:
1. Economic Empowerment of the Media
Establish a National Media Development Fund supported by public–private partnership to sustain independent journalism.
Provide tax reliefs and grants for ethical, investigative, and community media organizations.
Promote fair remuneration standards for journalists to end professional hunger.
2. Institutional Reforms
Strengthen the Nigerian Press Council and Broadcasting Commission to reward integrity and sanction propaganda.
Encourage media ombudsmen in every major organization — internal watchdogs for public accountability.
3. Ethical and Apostolic Reorientation
Reintroduce moral and civic education in journalism schools, including Ethics of the Scribes: truth, accuracy, courage, and accountability.
Church media and faith-based communicators must rise as “Ezra scribes” — documenting truth with reverence to God, not reverence to men.
4. Citizen Empowerment
Promote citizen journalism with training on fact-checking and responsible reporting.
Create digital platforms where citizens can rate media credibility, exposing falsehood and rewarding truth.
5. Reclaiming the Prophetic Voice
Journalists must recover their priestly and prophetic role — standing between power and people as moral interpreters.
As Isaiah said, “The Lord has given me a tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary” (Isaiah 50:4).
Conclusion
A corrupt and hungry media is not just a professional tragedy; it is a national security threat.
The pen that once fought for freedom must not become the dagger that kills democracy.
We must raise again the standard of the scribes of truth — men and women whose words are not for sale and whose headlines are holy.
If the media is the mirror of society, let it be a clean one. For only a pure reflection can reveal a true nation.
Yours in Truth and Nation-Building,
Citizen Bolaji O. Akinyemi
Apostle & Nation Builder
