Of television and radio analysts

Simon Abah

SIR: Television and radio broadcast stations in Nigeria and the management needs to do something about content broadcast on their stations and analysts invited to discuss very sensitive national issues.

The management of broadcast stations needs to critically watch the programmes aired to see if there are high levels of partisanship and lack of professionalism. This might make presenters act right, who knows? The language of some of the guests on air isn’t moderated and sometimes people who are members of a particular party are invited to programmes more than people from other sides in many TV and radio stations.

Activists from particular regions; journalists too some of which pass off as ethnic jingoists. I may be wrong, but this is my humble observation and that for me is not journalism.

The presenters on CNN and Fox although partisan hide their partisanship but staffers do not even from the way they frame questions.

Journalists must move away from glaring partisanship and owners of platforms should learn not to shove their preferences and views on their staffers because it erodes the credibility of the station.

They should be professional in the way they engage guests in dialogue.

Critiques are necessary to point out the ugly side (darkness) that has pervaded our dear country.

In Nigeria people hardly know that there must be a distinct separation between their political affiliation and public-serving oriented business. Most owners of broadcast stations are inextricably tied to former and present government in power and don’t seem to give a damn about public feelings.

I’ve always stated, rightly or wrongly, that ours is a society replete with peripheral rather than deep thinkers.

Bring seasoned presenters to handle sensitive programmes.

There are many things to harp upon on television: right issues, discrimination, and gender equality etc. Disabilities are a great place to start for the growth of Nigeria. Other areas may include the future of Nigerian youth, Chibok girls, rise of inter-religious conflicts, tribalism versus nationalism, health system, social welfare/homelessness etc. and many other on the spur of the moment topics.

I believe in freedom of speech but more in the freedom to educate and not to cause hate, strife and chasm between people. Broadcast stations should promote nationalism and not bigotry.

Narrow-mindedness is damaging to any country.

Simon Abah, Abuja.