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MRA RELEASE BROADCAST MONITORING REPORT: COMMENDS
BROADCAST STATIONS FOR FAIR REPORTS
Lagos – Tuesday, March 9, 1999:
The broadcast sub-sector of the Nigerian Media has been
commended for its display of an appreciable level of fairness in its
coverage of political events during the month of December 1998.
This is in spite of a few instances of lopsided air time
allotted to some political parties and politicians than the others.
This commendation was given by Media Rights Agenda (MRA) in
a publication entitled: Airwaves Scorecard: Report of the Broadcast
Media Coverage of the Political Transition Programme, released to the
media in February.
The 31-page report, as a basis for its monitoring,
considered how government acts to ensure free media access to political
news sources and protection from harassment, and how the Broadcast Media
acts to give equal access to political parties and candidates, ensure fair
coverage of political parties, and educate the electorate on how and why
to vote.
It concluded that there were no incident of deliberate
attempt by the government to restrict the Broadcast media access to
political news sources, but noted that an avalanche of decrees and
legislation abound, that is capable of installing fear in broadcast
stations managers thereby causing them to resort to self-censorship.
Secondly, the report, which extensively discussed the legal
boundaries of election report in Nigeria, which essentially covers the
broadcast media, noted that the regulation of broadcast media on the sale
of airtime is capable of censoring the broadcasting stations.
The report further noted that while the legal boundaries of
election reporting in Nigeria invest on a broadcaster the duty to help
sensitize the voter, no efforts was made to provide a broadcaster
protection from legal actions by aggrieved person(s).
The report which was based on the monitoring of selected
broadcast media to assess the coverage of political issues during the
period between December 1 and December 31, 1998, focused on the coverage
of the political programme by three television stations and two radio
stations.
The Television Station are; the Federal Government owned
Nigeria Television Authority (NTA) in Abuja, Private-owned African
Independent Television (AIT) in Lagos, and MiNAJ Systems Television in
Obosi, Anambra State.
The Radio Stations are; the Federal Government –owned Radio
Nigeria and Ray Power 100.5FM, a privately owned station in Lagos.
On the part of the broadcast media, in relation to
how its acts to give equal airtime and fairly report on political parties,
the report noted that the broadcast media paid more attention to PDP and
its candidates than it did other political parties and candidates.
The report commended the broadcast station for their
provision of direct access programming of various kinds, although mostly
for a free. It also commended them for much use of “actuality” as well as
live programmes at which candidates were allowed to explain their parties
and air their views using their voices.
The report, therefore, recommended as follows:
● In view of the greater advantage of the
broadcast media has over its print counterpart, government can enhance
greater participation, as well as stimulate more citizen’s interest in the
political transition programme by initiating policies that will make radio
and television sets more affordable for the masses.
● Broadcast stations should reduce their air time
rates for sponsored political programmes and as well encourage a greater
use of local languages and the more national pidgin English.
● The Government should create a more conducive
legal environment for media coverage of the transition programme by
repealing all laws and decrees which inhibit the capacity of the media to
report freely.
In particular, the Government should revoke its reported
ban on live debates.
● The Government should provide adequate
protection for journalists and media workers against intimidation and
attacks by thugs, supporters and members of political parties or
candidates. The government should also investigate all reported cases and
prosecute those responsible.
● Broadcast media should improve significantly on
their focus on Civic Education broadcasts and as well the government and
INEC should give more attention to political enlightenment programmes in
the broadcast media.
● Lastly it recommended that broadcast stations,
rather than increase their air time rates, should reduce it 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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