The Minister of Youths and Sports, Mr Sunday Dare, The Chief Executive Officer, CEO, Ilaji Hotel &Resource Centre, Chief Dotun Sanusi and Member of Oyo State House of Assembly, Hon. Seyi Adisa have justified the importance of online journalism to national development.
The trio guests at the seminar organized by the Southwest Group of Online Publishers(SWEGOP) revealed the significance of online journalism towards the national development.
In their separate discussions, The Minister of Youths and Sports, Mr Sunday Dare said that the attainment of national development through online journalism was premised on practitioners’ mastery and total understanding of traditional journalism which has professional rules of engagement.
Dare revealed that the practice and marketability of online journalism require adherence to both laws and ethics that uphold and sustain the pen profession.
Minister added that journalism as a sensitive profession is better practised in a democratic setting when the pen pushers adhere strictly to the rules, ethics and cardinal principles that guide and uphold the noble profession.
He warned journalists who care to publish happenings as they occur but care not to find out the veracity of such phenomenal, stressing that such news will either make peace or mar the peaceful atmosphere of the society.
Dare said that the invention of social media had turned everybody to journalists who publish stories without prerequisite knowledge of conventional media, adding that to make difference as professional journalists, there is need to have firm mastery and understanding of the rules of practice and engagement.
He added that his knowledge and experience in journalism had made him to understand that fake news and slanderous expressions are capable of orchestrating ethnic crisis and uncontrollable war.
Dare reiterated that sensational journalism that is triggered by Journalist’s slanderous words, character assassinated statements and failure to dig into happenings for veracious contents had turned many journalists to agents of crisis and architects of war.
Ogbomoso-born Minister revealed the feats that the Ministry of Youths and Sports currently heads by him has attained, stressing that the current federal government that is led by President Muhammadu Buhari has been so committed to policies and programmes, which would ultimately ameliorate the challenges and suffering of Nigerian youths across the length and breadth of the country.
Dare hailed Chief Dotun Sanusi, CEO, Ilaji Hotel and Resource Centre for his philanthropy, kind gesture and readiness to assist the community in all ramifications and efforts that are being dissipated to amelioration of tribulations being faced by the downtrodden in the society.
In his own submission, Hon. Seyi Adisa, Lawmaker representing Afijio State Constituency at Oyo State House of Assembly hailed members of SWEGOP for their initiative to organize a seminar that is aimed at training and retraining online journalists on professional practice of journalism, stressing that the knowledge acquired at the workshop would also Increase their horizon of knowledge on the needs to practice journalism efficiently and competently.
The lawmaker said that the seminar came at a time while social media had almost taken the roles of conventional media which are known for accuracy, fairness, balance and objectivity respectively.
He described the SWEGOP as an association of future which will in their intellect and professionalism contribute to politics of development that will compel the politicians and leaders on what to do in order to bring the dividends of democracy to all and sundry.
Adisa enjoined them to practise and adhere strictly to the ethics and law that guide and uphold the true practicability of journalism, saying compliance with the cardinal principles of profession will not only rank journalism among other disciplines but also orchestrating the fame and competence of its practitioners.
Chief Dotun Sanusi, CEO Ilaji Hotel and Resource Centre toed the path of earlier speakers with appraisal of online journalists’ ingenuity and professionalism to organize the needful seminar that is aimed at improving their knowledge and skills on the course of journalism, stressing that the seminar came at a material time when they need to stand firmly and professionally differentiate themselves from the social media warriors who are stylishly acting as online journalists with no prerequisite knowledge and the needed requirements.
Sanusi lauded the Minister of Youths and Sports, Sunday Dare for his brilliance and appreciable policies which are targeted to make unprecedented feats in the ministry, adding that Dare remains the true ambassador of pacesetter state who is making the state proud at home and in the diaspora.
He equally hailed other participants at the programme who contributed in no small measure with a view to recording success during and at the end of the seminar.
