National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) has told media houses to stop divulging details of banditry and insurgency.
Gatekeepers News reports that the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) has asked broadcast stations in Nigeria to stop giving details of attacks by bandits and insurgents.
NBC made this known in a letter titled ‘Newspaper Reviews And Current Affairs Programmes: A Need For Caution’, and signed by the Director of Broadcast Monitoring Francisca Aiyetan, on behalf of the Director-General of the commission, Balarabe Ilelah.
The letter dated July 7 directed radio and television stations not to “glamourise the nefarious activities of insurgents, bandits, and kidnappers ” in their reports.
NBC also advised broadcasters to apply caution in their reportage as disseminating “too many details” may have an adverse effect on the efforts of the Nigerian security agencies.
The Commission added that some of the topics discussed during daily newspaper reviews have “ethnological coating” which pitches “one section of the country against the other and leaving Nigerians in daily hysteria”.
The letter read, “Headlines of most Newspapers on a daily basis are replete with security topics. While bringing information on security to the doorsteps of Nigerians is a necessity, there is a need for caution as too many details may have an adverse implication on the efforts of our security officials who are duty-bound to deal with the insurgency.
“The commission, therefore, enjoins broadcasters to collaborate with the government in dealing with the security challenges by;
“Not glamourising the nefarious activities of insurgents, terrorists, kidnappers, bandits, etc.
“Advising guests and/or analysts on programmes not to polarise the citizenry with divisive rhetoric, in driving home their point.
“Not giving details of either the security issues or victims of these security challenges so as not to jeopardise the efforts of the Nigerian soldiers and other security agents.”
The commission while reminding broadcast stations of the provisions of sections 5.4.1(f) and 5.4.3 of the NBC Code which states thus: “The broadcaster shall not transmit divisive materials that may threaten or compromise the divisibility and indissolubility of Nigeria as a sovereign state,” advised broadcasters to be guided by this.
The letter read further, “In reporting conflict situations, the broadcaster shall perform the role of a peace agent by adhering to the principle of responsibility, accuracy, and neutrality.”
