Minister Urges Media to Limit Coverage of Criminal Activities

(Mohammed Idris. Photo Crdit: Peoples Gazette)

Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, has urged Nigerian media organisations to reduce the amount of publicity given to t3rrorists, b@ndits and other crim!nal elements, warning that such coverage plays into their goal of spreading fear.

Speaking at a security summit organised by the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) in partnership with the Department of State Services (DSS), Idris called on journalists to exercise greater caution in how they report on security-related matters.

He appealed to the media to take these criminal elements off their front pages, noting that such coverage is essentially what they seek to gain for free.

The minister expressed concern over what he described as the frequent prominence given to criminal activities in news reports, while the efforts and sacrifices of security personnel receive comparatively less attention.

He said it saddened him whenever he came across front pages and headlines that highlighted the actions of criminals while downplaying the work being done by security agencies.

Idris stressed that his appeal was not a call for censorship, but rather an appeal for responsible journalism that takes national unity and security into consideration.

He noted that experienced journalists understand what should and should not be reported in the interest of nation-building, reiterating that nobody was calling for censorship or asking the media to abandon its duties, but that there was a need to be mindful of preserving the country.

The minister pointed out that Nigeria continues to grapple with various security threats, ranging from terrorism and violent extremism to cybercrime, misinformation and organised crime, making continued cooperation between the media and security agencies increasingly important.