The National Broadcasting Station (NBC) has sanctioned three television stations for allegedly contributing to the escalation of the violence that greeted the #EndSARS protests across the country.
The regulators fined Arise TV, African Independent Television (AIT) and Channels Television between N2 million and N3 million.
The stations were accused of airing unverified images of alleged shooting during the protests.
NBC Acting Director General, Prof. Armstrong Idachaba, who announced the sanction, also warned that should the stations continue to follow the same path, they would face the wrath of the law, such as suspension of their operating licences.
Idachaba said what the sanction the commission announced is the B category, adding that if they fail to adhere to broadcast code, the A category punishment would be applied.
He said: “In line with the provisions of Section 5.6.9 of the Nigeria Broadcasting Code, which states that ‘the broadcaster shall be held liable for any breach of the Code emanation from the use of material from User Generated Sources’, the commission has, therefore, sanctioned Arise TV, Channels TV and AIT, in line with the provisions of the broadcasting Code.
“This is to serve as deterrent to broadcasters who deliberately ignore to verify stories before they broadcast.”
The commission advised broadcasters to always ensure that when they use User Generated Sources (UGC) and social media sources, they must ensure their veracity and authenticity.
Explaining the situation that led to the sanction, Idachaba said: “The National Broadcasting Commission is concerned about the professional misdemeanour of some broadcasting stations in the past couple of days. Whereas it can be said that the Nigerian media, especially the broadcast media, discharged its role professionally and most patriotic in confronting the challenge of #COVID-19 crisis, the same cannot be said of the coverage of the recent #EndSARS campaign.
“Monitoring reports available to the commission indicate that indeed at the early stages of the conflict, the broadcast industry largely gave a fair and balanced coverage to the issues. This trend became completely reversed when violence, wonton destruction and looting were added to the dimensions.
“Perhaps in the eagerness to break news and be pace setters, stations engaged in the very unprofessional attitude of speculative and unverifiable broadcast. This is in spite of the following provisions the Nigeria Broadcasting Code, which provides as follows:
5.6.1 “In contemporary times, the impact of modern technology has significantly enabled citizens’ contributions to journalism, which are beneficial to broadcasting. This genre of citizens’ reportage deploys methods, such facilities as “User Generated Content” (UGC), providing instantaneous eye-witness account of events. Such technological benefits place further demand on the broadcaster to be more cautious of its editorial responsibility.
5.6.2 “The news materials sent in by public must be vetted by broadcaster who has editorial responsibility.
5.6.3 “The broadcaster shall be mindful of materials that may embarrass individuals or organisations or cause disaffection, incite to panic or rift in the society, in the usage of UGC.
“Channels Television, Arise TV and AIT, especially continued to transmit footages obtained from unverified and unauthenticated social media sources.
“No doubt, these pictures stimulated anger and heightened the violence that was witnessed during the crisis.
“We believe that the whole country has now seen why the spurious and recklessness on the social media must not be patronised by mainstream traditional media. Broadcasters who, therefore, dogmatically patronise the social media must bury their heads in shame.
“The commission wishes to seize this opportunity to condemn in total terms the assault and intimidation of media houses. The burning of TVC Lagos, the brief closure of Channels TV, Lagos, are all worrisome indicators of mob treat to the freedom of the press. No nation can grow when the citizens muzzle and intimidate its press.
“We are at the stage of our nation’s history when our broadcasters have a crucial responsibility for responsive and professional broadcasting.
“By picking unverified, unsubstantiated Social media sources and repeating the narratives, our broadcasters have shown crass lack of professionalism and a disposition to be escalators of conflict and more seriously a threat to Nigeria.”
Also, main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) yesterday berated the NBC for slamming the fines on the three television stations.
A statement by PDP’s spokesman Kola Ologbondiyan said: “Indeed, this clampdown on broadcast stations, if anything, has heightened widespread public apprehensions of attempts at concealments of details and suppression of material evidence relating to human rights violations during the protest.
“In fact, this display of high-handedness by the NBC has hugely detracted from the efforts being made by well-meaning Nigerians to douse the tension in the land and reassure Nigerians at this critical time.”
In a statement by its Deputy Director Kolawole Oluwadare, SERAP said: “This action by the NBC is yet another example of Nigerian authorities’ push to silence independent media and voices. The NBC should drop the fines and uphold Nigerian constitution and international obligations to respect and protect freedom of expression and media freedom. We will sue the NBC if the unconstitutional fines are not rescinded within 48 hours.” (The Nation)
