By Kayode Shopekan
-
A United States Ambassador to Nigeria Mary Beth Leonard has stated that the Brown Envelope Journalism is destroying the practice in Nigeria
EKO HOT BLOG reports that U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria, Mary Beth Leonard has described journalists who go after ‘Brown Envelope’ as the bad apples destroying the practice.
Speaking during a town hall meeting organised by the Nigerian Guild of Editors on Thursday in Lagos, with the theme:‘Agenda Setting for Sustainable Democratic Culture’, the U.S. ambassador said a team approach should be adopted to help improve the public trust in the media.
Read Also: Travellers Stranded As Drivers Barricade Highway Over Serial Kidnapping
The two-day media-focused meetings which are meant for over 200 editors will take place in turns in the six geopolitical zones across the country with the support of the U.S. embassy in Nigeria.
Ms Leonard said, “brown envelope journalists are ruining Nigeria’s media by eroding the public’s trust in the media, destroying journalistic integrity, and making it difficult for the media to play a transparent oversight role over government actions.”
Brown envelope is derived from cash inducements hidden in brown envelopes and given to journalists during press briefings.
The Ambassador explained that one of the challenges that democracies worldwide face is an “unfortunate, pervasive lack of trust in the media.”
She decried financial inducement of journalists, saying that the “practice corrodes the institutional position of the media as what we refer to as the “Fourth Estate,” or one of our pillars of democracy.
Ms Leonard also urged Nigerian media to leverage their right to press freedom by countering propaganda and disinformation through regular and impartial fact-checking.
The U.S. ambassador also said access to accurate, unbiased information was critical to democracy.
“It ensures that citizens make responsible, informed choices rather than acting out of ignorance or misinformation. Information that is publicly accessible to all ensures that elected representatives uphold their oaths of office and carry out the wishes of those who elected them,” the U.S. envoy further noted.
She noted that the Nigerian media could ensure that citizen voices were heard, which might help reverse voter apathy.
“Too often Nigerian elections are personality-based and lose focus on critical issues such as unemployment, inflation, and lack of health care,” Ms Leonard stressed, adding that the media could hold the candidates accountable for discussing issues.
You May Also Like: Goodluck Jonathan, APC Chieftain Reacts To Invasion Of Odili’s Residence
Click to watch our Video of the week:
Advertise or Publish a Story on EkoHot Blog:
Kindly contact us at [email protected]. Breaking stories should be sent to the above email and substantiated with pictorial evidence.
Citizen journalists will receive a token as data incentive.
Call or Whatsapp: 0803 561 7233, 0703 414 5611
