Prof. Umar Danbatta, the Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) today charged online media publishers to balance real-time news reporting with the accuracy and integrity that is demanded of the profession.
Danbatta gave the charge during the virtual meeting with online news publishers, some of whom are also media partners to the Commission.
According to him, the digital media environment has brought about new opportunities and challenges for online journalists, but for the online journalist who knows his job should be able to leverage the real-time opportunity.
“One of the many benefits of what you do as an online journalist is the real-time dissemination of information and the immediacy it involves. The availability of online news 24/7 and its accessibility and availability to consumers make your work very important. You are therefore constantly faced with the challenge of not only reporting events in real-time, but balancing that need for speed with the accuracy and integrity demanded by your profession,” he said.
The former University lecturer also noted that there has been a considerable increase in the number of people accessing the news via online platforms, especially among younger audiences. Thus, it is NCC’s vision to be the leading public sector brand in the use of online media for organizational communication and stakeholder engagement.
While soliciting the online media continued support in the area of enlightening the general public on the various consumer-centric regulatory initiatives of the Commission, Danbatta argued that the communications sector and telecoms, in particular, is indeed the most vibrant and dynamic sector of the economy and requires excellent leadership and stewardship.