An astute supporter
of online journalism in Nigeria, Chief Chike Eze, has urged the NationalAssembly (NASS) to ensure that the current amendment on the Nigerian Press
Council Act of 1992, must accommodate digital journalism, reports ITRealms.
He also
said this has become expedient as there are at least two major forces, namely
the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers
(GOCOP) and Online Publishers Association of Nigeria (OPAN).
ITRealms recalls that the National
Assembly has before it, a billing seeking for an Act to repeal the Nigerian
Press Council Act of 1992, as amended and to enact Nigerian press Council Act
2018 being sponsored by Senator Suleiman Adokwe.
Reacting to the proposed amendment, Chief Eze described as
greatly flawed as it does not accommodate online newspapers and blogs.
According to him, even nothing else, there are already two
professional organisations in this sphere and I believe that both bodies should
be represented in the council.
“It's important that GOCOP and OPAN should take an interest in
this bill,” he declared, stressing that they should ensure that the “bill
accommodates digital journalism platforms and does not muzzle the press.”
ITRealms gathered that currently, as
being proposed by the bill, the composition of members of the council consist
of chairman and 21 others drawn from various media industry associations
including representatives of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Nigerian
Guild of Editors (NGE), Newspaper Proprietors Association of Nigeria (NPAN),
training institutions, National Assembly, Broadcasting Organization of Nigeria
(BON), News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) and executive secretary to the Council, one
of who must a legal practitioner and another a woman.
Nenye Dom/GEE
No comments:
Post a Comment