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MRA RELEASES MEDIA MONITORING REPORT: PRAISES
PRINT MEDIA COVERAGE OF THE TRANSITION
Lagos – Thursday, January 28, 1999:
There was no evidence of biased reporting in the print media in favour of
any political party in December, Media rights Agenda (MRA) said yesterday
in a report on the print media coverage of the transition programme.
But the organization noted that media reports were
dominated by the Peoples Democratic party (PDP) which had more reports in
newspapers than any of the other political parties.
In its 24 page report entitled: Media Scorecard: A
report of the Print Media Coverage of the Political Transition Programme,
MRA said although there were a few instances of stories it considered
“favoured to suit political and economic interest”, it was constrained not
to take those as evidence of biased reporting because such flavouring did
not establish a pattern. The organization’s survey was carried out on
three independent national newspapers, The
Guardian, This Day and The Punch.
The report also noted that while the media atmosphere in
Nigeria is at the moment enjoying a breath of fresh air after the
seemingly endless suffocating working environment that pervaded the media
industry during the regime of the late Head of State, General Sani Abacha,
government is yet to provide a conductive legal environment for unfettered
media coverage of the transition programme.
The report cited the continued retention of Transition to
Civil Rule (Political Programme) Decree No. 1 of 1996, which stipulates a
punishment of five years imprisonment for any person who organizes, plans,
encourages, aids, co-operates or conspires with any person to undermine,
prevent or in any way do any act to forestall or prejudice the realization
of the political programme, describing it as a hindrance to unfettered
press of the political transition programme.
Another decree which directly threatens media freedom with
regard to the transition programme, the report noted, is the Offensive
Publications (Proscription) Decree No. 35 of 1993.
Promulgated by the government of General Ibrahim Babangida,
the decree provide for the proscription seizures and confiscation of any
publication which, in the opinion of the head of state, is likely to
disrupt, hinder or prevent the transition process or disturb the peace and
public order of Nigeria.
The decree ousts the jurisdiction of the courts to inquire
into any question whether any of the fundamental rights provision in the
Constitution of Nigeria and the Charter on Human and People’s Rights has
been violated by an order made pursuant to the provisions of the decree.
Although not enacted by the present regime, the report
noted that the fact of the retention of the decrees by this government and
the unpredictable nature of military governments, makes them a potent
weapon for use by the government in future.
This fear, the report further said was heightened by a
report credited to the Director-General of the National Orientation Agency
(NOA), Professor Elo Amucheazi, that a soon to be promulgated decree,
bars live debate among the candidates of political parties.
That the media performed this creditably well, the report
noted, is only because journalists have become accustomed to working under
an insecure atmosphere.
According to the report, The Guardian published a
total of 443 political stories in the month of December 1998, spread over
133 pages and one half page. This Day with total of 167 pages
devoted to political issues in a total of 436 stories while The Punch
published 253 stories spread over 105 pages.
Noting that the focus on the political transition could be
better, the report recommended that government should create a more
conducive legal environment by revoking Decrees No. 1 of 1996 and No. 35
of 1993, providing adequate protection for journalists and media workers
against intimidation and attacks by thugs, party supporters and members or
candidates while quickly investigating reported cases.
It also enjoined the Government, the Independent National
Electoral Commission (INEC) and the media to focus more on Civic Education
in view of the reported low voter turn-out during the December 5 Local
Government Election.
The report also recommended that rather than increase their
advertisement rates as most newspapers have done, they should reduce such
rates to enable parties and politicians have more access to the
electorate.
For further information please contact:
Osaro Odemwingie
Publications Officer
Tel: 01-4930831
Fax: 01-4930831
E-mail:
mra@rcl.nig.com
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