FocusOnNaija

Fed Govt. stand on the regulation of online Journalism

23rd January 2016

Online publications have been constituting some major hitches in the polity through the propagation of unconfirmed and defamatory articles which has attracted the attention of the Federal Government.

The Minister of information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has assured that the Federal Government will not regulate Online Publications in the country, saying the publishers are responsible enough to regulate themselves.

The Minister gave the assurance on Friday when he met with Online Publishers in Lagos, in continuation of his ongoing consultation with key stakeholders in the Information and Culture sector.

He however told the publishers to ensure that they maintain their credibility, saying:

If the online publications suffer credibility problems, they stand the risk of losing the confidence of their readers and the advertisers who provide the lifeblood for the publications’ survival.
Alhaji Mohammed said while the number of online publications is bound to grow in the days ahead, only the credible ones will continue to enjoy patronage, either from the readers or from the advertisers.

He said it was in the interest of government that online publications continue to grow in number

because the more the number of such online publications, the easier it becomes to bridge the information gap between the government and the governed, and the easier it becomes for the government to carry the citizens along in the formulation and implementation of policies that touch on their lives.
The Minister promised that the Federal Government would patronize the Online Publications through adverts, saying:

All we ask for, in return, is that you provide accurate information to the people, and avoid sensationalism and partisanship.
He sought the Publishers’ support to ensure the success of the various campaigns that have either being launched or are about to be launched by the Federal Government.