From Rashidat AbdulRahman, Minna
The legislature and media have been charged to close ranks and trust each other, for the good of the public.
The Head, Mass Communication Department, IBB University, Lapai Niger state, Mr Ternenge Ende gave this charge at a one-day workshop for legislative correspondents held Monday at the Assembly Complex, Minna, Niger state, with the theme: “How Effective Media Coverage of Legislative Affairs can Improve Public Trust.”
Speaking on the theme, Mr Ende said both the legislature and media have demonstrated lack of trust in one another, at the detriment of the public.
He opined that since the legislature is the link between citizens and their governments, it was important for a people oriented relationship to be sustained with the media.
Mr Ende among other things urged reporters to embrace the use of credible data in providing irrefutable evidence-based reporting and adopt fact checking of legislative affairs to establish authenticity in their reportage.
He added that fake news and commercialisation of news content have been identified as some reasons behind the loss of confidence in the media by the public.
The Speaker of the House, Alhaji Abdullahi Bawa Wuse cautioned against over sensationalism and other unethical practices among journalists.
He maintained that the assembly would support the press corps to further provide forum for capacity building in the interest of legislative engagements.
The Vice Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in the state, Mr Uriah Gana said a fact checking centre would soon be established in the state to promote factual and evidence based reportage.
The event which is the first of its kind and initiated by the press corp of the Niger state House of Assembly
was also aimed at improving the capacity of participants to further deepen participatory governance.