Akaje Maimunat reports
The National Association of Campus Journalists (NACJ) at Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto kicked off its first training session for the 2023/2024 academic year with a focus on the core values of journalism.
The training, held at the A134 lecture hall as part of the congress agenda, centered on the theme ‘Ethics and Professionalism of Journalists’ and was led by Ghazali Abdulhamid, the Principal Editor of the National Association of Campus Journalists.
Gazali, in his enlightening session, emphasized that the ethics of journalism are founded on three fundamental pillars: Truth, Accuracy, and Objectivity. He stressed that any journalistic endeavor lacking these pillars cannot be considered authentic journalism.
“Ethics in journalism demand unwavering commitment to truth, accuracy, and objectivity. These are the guiding principles that define our profession,” Gazali remarked.
Furthermore, he highlighted the significance of professionalism in journalism, urging journalists to refrain from injecting personal opinions into their work.
He emphasized the importance of straightforwardness and truthfulness in delivering news and information.
During the interactive session, Abdullateef Abdullahi, the Editor-In-Chief of News Digest Press, posed a crucial question about a piece of work that lacked one of these essential pillars: would it be rejected outright, or would the reporter be guided to gather more information?
“ A reporter can be guided to source more information and if he finds out that his interviewees are not responding, he can abandon the work if it doesn’t convey the expected truth.”
Also, Abdulrasheed Akere, the Editor-in-Chief of Pen Press, raised a question regarding the classification of works that fail to uphold these foundational pillars of journalism.
“In my experience,” Gazali responded, “any work that lacks truth, accuracy, or objectivity cannot be rightfully labeled as journalistic work.”
“ These principles are non-negotiable in our field,” he added.