Otuaro Emphasises On Objective Journalism At IPF’s Media Conference

By Monday Peters, Abuja

The Administrator of the presidential amnesty programme High Chief Dr. Dennis Otuaro has charged members of the Ijaw Publishers’ Forum, IPF, to report facts to promote ethical journalism while telling the Ijaw and Niger Delta stories.

Otuaro was represented by the national spokesman of the Ijaw Youths Council (IYC) who made this disclosure at the 2nd Ijaw media conference held in Warri, Delta State.

The administrator added” I am happy that Ijaw journalists have boldly come out together to champion the Ijaw struggle in a very dynamic perspective”.

Otuaro, quoting the words of former President of America Thomas Jefferson who said, ” if I am asked to choose between the people of America and the media, I will choose the media, and that the media can make and mar any government if they choose to do so.” he said.

According to him, the IPF has come to correct the wrong reportage of Ijaw history and struggle by foreign media. The Ijaw story was misrepresented over the years, but IPF’s emergence has corrected this error and the story is gradually changing for the better.

Otuaro, however, challenged Ijaw media practitioners to be objective, truthful, accurate and fearless in their reportage to correct many years of anomalies of the Ijaw struggle. He admonished members of IPF to see themselves as brothers and love one another in the discharge of their activities to achieve a common goal.