From Musa Muhammad Kutama, Calabar
Cross River State Governor, Senator Bassey Edet Otu, has urged the management and editorial team of the Cross River Newspaper Corporation, publishers of the Nigeria Chronicle, to always verify facts before publication in order to maintain credibility and public trust.
The governor made the call on Thursday during the recommissioning of the state-owned newspaper, the Nigeria Chronicle, in Calabar.
Otu stressed the importance of accurate and responsible journalism, urging the newspaper to uphold professional standards in its reportage.
“As a conventional media outlet, you should always verify facts before publication, as falsehood and sensational information are only consigned to social media and other new media platforms,” the governor said.
He said another critical responsibility of the newspaper was to report and publicise development milestones achieved by his administration for public information and assessment.
“You should equally bear in mind that not all public perceptions are realities; so you need to sieve out propaganda from every happening within and outside the state.
“I hope you will revive the interest of the reading public through accurate and responsible reportage,” he said.
The governor also challenged the editorial board of the Nigeria Chronicle to develop a Critical Response Initiative (CRI) in Information Management to keep readers abreast of breaking news, counter misleading information and respond to emergencies within and outside the state.
Otu described the Nigeria Chronicle, established in 1974, as one of the most important information platforms in the state, noting that the newspaper had remained dormant for about two decades.
He said that, considering the importance of the print media, his administration had taken steps to re-equip the newspaper and restore it to full operation.
According to him, the government had also renovated the newspaper’s entire complex, which was damaged during the #EndSARS protests of 2020.
The governor, however, said it was one thing for the state government to commit scarce resources towards reviving the newspaper through the procurement and installation of state-of-the-art printing machines and accessories, and another for staff members to justify the investment through hard work and protection of the facilities against vandalism.
He urged the management and staff of the newspaper to take ownership of the facility and ensure that the government’s investment was properly protected and utilised for the benefit of the people of Cross River State.
