Don tasks Media on transparency, accuracy to justify Fourth Estate status

By Friday Idachaba, Lokoja.

PROF. Gbenga Solomon Ibileye of the Federal University Lokoja, has urged the Media industry in Nigeria to prioritize transparency, accuracy, and a commitment to public interest in fulfilling its role as the Fourth Estate of the Realm.

Prof. Ibileye who is also the Provost, College of Postgraduate Studies at FUL made the call while presenting a paper titled, “The Media As The Fourth Estate of the Realm: Fact or Fiction.”

The function was the 2023 Triennial Delegates Conference of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Kogi State Council, held at the NUJ Press Centre Lokoja.

He said that the relationship between the Media and the public is mutually reinforcing, and incumbent upon both to uphold the principles that underpin the position of the Media as the Fourth Estate.

“Citizens have a responsibility to evaluate the information they consume critically, seek out diverse perspectives, and hold media outlets to account for their reporting practices.

“At the same time, the media industry must prioritize transparency, accuracy, and a commitment to public interest in fulfilling its role as the Fourth Estate”, he said.

He said that while concerns about misinformation and partisan reporting abound, the media’s capacity to inform, scrutinize power, and facilitate public discourse should not be underestimated.

“The evolution of mass media presents both challenges and opportunities, and the preservation of the Fourth Estate depends on a concerted effort to prioritize factual reporting over fiction-inducing contents.

Ibileye stressed that in today’s media landscape, concerns have been raised about the erosion of the basic principles attributing it to the liberalized space with the journalism profession becoming an all-comers affair.

He noted that people with little or no training at all in journalism, mass communication or media practice now find themselves writing, editing, reporting, and generally setting the agenda and nuances for the media and media analysis.

The University Don regretted that the advent of social media had further complicated the issues, where any person who has access to a computer, mobile device and the internet and can type any passable English, would call himself a journalist or media practitioner.

He said that the development had led to the compromise of professional quality in terms of the ethics of the profession, objectivity and fairness adding that the other ethical standards are now sacrificed on the altar of the rise of sensationalism.

“As we navigate the complexities of the modern media landscape, the enduring ideals of truth, accountability, and public service must guide the media’s pursuit of its Fourth Estate responsibilities”, he added.

Ibileye, a Professor of African Literature, Oral Poetics and Cultural Communication however said that the concept of the media as the Fourth Estate remained a vital framework for understanding its role in democratic societies. 

He said, “The fact of the matter is that for democracy to thrive, it requires informed citizens”, adding that in a representative democracy, the role of the press is twofold.

“It both informs citizens and sets up a feedback loop between the government and the people. The press makes the actions of the government known to the public, and voters who disapprove of current tendencies in policy can take corrective action in the next election.

“Without the press, the feedback loop is broken and the government is no longer accountable to the people. The press is therefore of the utmost importance in representative democracy”, he asserted. (Ends)