- Safiu Kehinde
Former governor of Ogun State, Chief Olusegun Osoba, has called for adherence to journalistic ethics amid rise in citizens journalism.
Osoba made the call during his opening address at the launch of Pinnacle Daily in Abuja on Wednesday.
While expressing concerns over the rise of citizen journalism, a phenomenon driven by increasing access to the Internet and social media, the ex-governor held that real professionals of the field can only be set apart by the adherence to the ethics of the profession.
“No one can hold back the trajectory of the Internet, but there are serious issues around practice, standards and ethics with the advent of citizen journalism.
“While news reporting and dissemination have been so democratised that there are now, in some quarters, questions about what news is and who a journalist is, what sets real professionals apart is their adherence to journalism ethics,” Osoba maintained.
Osoba was the chairman of the occasion. He was however represented by Chief Eric Teniola.
He commended publishers who are staying true to their profession and maintaining sanity in the practice.
He praised the traditional media for continuing to weather the harsh economic conditions to produce journalism that continues to serve the best interests of truth and the people.
The ex-Ogun governor commended the leadership of the Pinnacle Digital Resources and publishers of Pinnacle Daily for also braving the odd of the harsh media terrain.
“Our work as journalists and truth bearers is even more imperative today in preserving our fledgling democracy and promoting the well-being of our people.
“As Chairman of this occasion, I commend the leadership of Pinnacle Digital Resources Limited, publishers of Pinnacle Daily, for braving the odds of today’s harsh media terrain to set up a newspaper that will be value-driven and that, I am told, Nigerians would be ultimately asked to pay for.
“Pinnacle Daily, I am told, is business-focused and would deliver valuable information and data that would enable people to make smart decisions about their lives and businesses,” Osoba said.
He believes the Nigerian economy, businesses and ordinary folks will benefit from such a value-driven newspaper.
The renowned journalist and politician said Pinnacle Daily, an online newspaper, comes at a time when the journalism profession and the media are going through very dramatic changes.
He noted that the coming of the Internet and the influence of technological innovation, particularly Artificial Intelligence (AI), have had a positive and telling effect on the way journalists produce, disseminate and even consume news nowadays.
“Journalism today is also assailed by the phenomenon of fake news and misinformation in a world where virtually anybody with a device with an Internet connection can produce and disseminate just about anything couched as news.
“In all this, for me, journalism, a profession that is as old as time itself, will continue to retain its shine, as long as we as professionals continue to stay true to professionalism based on the strictest ethical standards, which are the hallmarks of true journalism practice,
“In the age where technology drives media business, I think it is important for media entrepreneurs to see media as a business and understand the interplay between having a sound product, understanding that the audience or consumer is key and being ready to deploy technology appropriately,” Osoba added.” Osoba said.
He stressed that as professionals, especially for the elders and leaders in the profession, the onus is on them to show the light and lead the way in the preservation of journalism practice and standards.
This is “a duty I want to remind us all that we must never shy away from,” Osoba said.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of Pinnacle Digital Resources Limited, Abimbola Adeseyoju, at the unveiling of media outlet paid a special tribute to the late DIG Ibrahim Lamorde, the pioneer director of Pinnacle.
According to Adeseyoju, Pinnacle Daily is an idea that started about three years ago.
“But before I begin my speech, I want to pay special tribute to one of us who started this journey together with us about 3 years ago, but he has now gone to rest. DIG Ibrahim Lamorde was a pioneer director of Pinnacle
“He was passionate about the idea of transforming the media landscape in Nigeria through the use of new technologies,” Adeseyoju recalled.
He said the unveiling of the brand is a testament to the belief that Pinnacle is going to change the trajectory and direction of the digital news channel in Nigeria.
The world, according to him, has changed dramatically and functionally in the past 30 years and that one of the most affected by the change is the media landscape.
“The major disruptor is the internet and telecommunication technologies. Both the Internet and telecommunication innovations have drastically altered the way we produce and consume news. Many of us in the media industry had been forced to go back to the drawing board to survive economically.
“My advice here today is to focus on the consumers and not the technology. Technology is just a tool,” the Pinnacle chairman said.
He urged journalists and media practitioners to keep understanding the needs, peculiarities and preferences of the consumers of various news products and services.
Adeseyoju explained that the reason it took the management so long to launch Pinnacle was because they did not want to be just another digital media outlet.
“We wanted to be forever relevant in the lives and decision-making processes of the new generation of media consumers. Call them Gen Z or Gen Alpha. What matters most is that what they are looking for in a piece of news is different from what the older generation is looking for.
“The most difficult item for those of us who grew up in the 70s, 80s and up till the 90s was sourcing knowledge! Today knowledge is within our palms, and it is absolutely free! (Maybe discounted with the cost of daily data).
“So, the problem confronting this new generation is not about knowledge. It is about choices. “How to make the best decisions from the avalanche of news and information available on employment, careers, health, education, leisure, entertainment, finance, business opportunities, wealth creation and many more,” he maintained.
The Pinnacle Chairman stressed this is the core principle that will guide Pinnacle Daily going forward.
“We want to be the trusted channel of choice for this generation when it comes to decision-making in their personal, economic and political lives.
“We want to be able to provide needed rational and advantageous information to our consumers so they can win in life,” Adeseyoju said.
He assured readers that when they tune in to Pinnacle Daily, they can rest assured that they are having an edge in the choices the medium presents to them for them to go out there and win.
“This is our promise. And this we will keep,” Adeseyoju added.
In attendance at the launch were veteran journalists, including the Senior Vice Chairman and Editor-in-Chief of Leadership, Azu Ishiekwene; Vice Chair and Chair of the Blueprint Editorial Board, Zainab Okino, Editor-in-Chief/COO of Premium Times, Musikilu Mojeed, and Founder and Principal Partner of Omalicha Media Network Ltd, Angela Agoawike.