Why are the well-known principles of ethics, balance, fairness and truth not being applied in reporting the matter concerning the incident that led to the unfortunate death of late Otunba Dipo Dina'In what looks like a deliberate media blackout, there appears to be a conspiracy to witch-hunt the innocent. This conclusion is based on the following: The arrest of a suspect; arraignment before a court and remand in custody, have somehow not managed to gain the interest of crime desks of Nigeria's media. What has been witnessed is silly finger-pointing and innuendos about this murder from some sections of the media. There, indeed, appears to be a strong correlation between the refusal to report any details of the on-going case and a desire to mislead the reading public into thinking the former administration in Ogun State is responsible for that criminal act. The actual details of the case with verifiable records which are lodged with the Nigeria Police and Ogun State Ministry of Justice are blatantly ignored by these media practitioners. What are the hard facts of the matter so far' The facts of the case have been provided by the Nigeria Police as far back as December 2010. First, let's retrace some facts of Dina's political journey. He contested for the House of Representatives in 2003 and lost to Hon. Wale Ogunbanjo. In 2007, he contested as the gubernatorial candidate for ACN but lost to Otunba Gbenga Daniel. This defeat was confirmed through both the High and Appeal Courts. When the sad incident of his death occurred in January 2010, the media finger-pointing commenced in earnest. This was to the extent that the government delegation that attended his funeral service was booed out of church. The acts of innuendos and false accusations have continued to date; the latest being unwisely displayed on daytime television last weekend. Now to the evidence presented by the Nigeria Police. In December 2010, a suspect was arrested and confessed to have taken part in a series of armed robberies in the Ota-Idiroko area, one of which involved the late politician. This press release issued by the police which contained the name, photograph and details of the incident of the suspect, however did not see the light of day in any newspaper save one, the National Mirror. Crime reporting is a serious business and any newspaper anywhere in the world worth its salt must create a robust crime desk which follows up on incidents and monitor cases. Some journalists make it their civic duty to independently investigate murder cases with a view to bringing out the truth and giving closure to the family of the victim. Indeed crime cases form the basis of several television programmes. Murder cases are not treated with selective reporting neither are they used as a tool to portray perceived political opponents as culprits. More importantly newspapers do not take sides, thrive on fanciful theories. There is, indeed, in this matter further evidence that there is a deliberate media black-out of the matter. The suspect was arraigned before a magistrate's court on November 3, 2011. Again, the court proceedings were reported in only one newspaper. The question is why are the details surrounding the death of Otunba Dina subject to a media black-out' Is this a way of perpetuating the innuendoes and continuous engaging in insinuation in the public domain to keep it at bay with the latest developments in the matter' It is hoped that discerning minds should be able to see through the persistent onslaught to slur the innocent with this heinous crime and ask questions.Nigerian journalism has to grow up and refuse to engage in manipulation and mind-bending tactics. If a widely-read newspaper publishes pack of lies, there is little chance of the reader being able to tell the difference because newspapers are deemed to be drivers of truth and fair-play. The public relies on the media as a truthful vessel and faithful watchdog to mould society. Once a society is being fed with lies, half truths and innuendos, it signifies a dangerous trend. Today it is the turn of OGD. Whose turn will it be tomorrow' The fanciful and salacious should not be allowed to prevail over the truth. What a sharp journalist should do is to get up and say 'I want to get to the bottom of this matter' and step out to independently investigate and monitor the case. This is how it operates in other societies. In Britain for instance, crime cases are not shamelessly politicised. The memory of the victim is dragged through the mud all in the bid to paint a member of society a murderer without any evidence. Such cases are given all the respect and seriousness they deserve. This is not to say that there is not the occasional aberration. In the recent case of what was described as 'the media lynching' of retired school teacher, Chris Jefferies, falsely accused of murdering his tenant. This resulted in eight newspapers paying damages to him for 'defamation and character assassination'. Mr. Jeffries lawyer called it nothing short of 'media vilification'. The media in Britain is not perfect and is currently undergoing a cleansing process through the on-going British Media Inquiry. I daresay we need one such internal cleansing procedure in Nigeria. The media has to do some soul-searching and see where it has got it wrong and why and what can be done to redress the gaps. Selective reportage ought to be discouraged; infact it is unacceptable and it does not belong to a progressive society. What Mr Jefferies case has taught us is that trial should not be by media. It is certainly not one of the tenets of the media taught in the school of journalism. For growth in our society, the media ought not to be pliant in the hands of powerful forces, but liberate itself to stay on the path of the truth, balanced reporting and justice. Turning a blind eye to certain reports just to keep the reading public in the dark, cannot be in the best interest of the country and its growth. The democratic values we all cling to must be done so without discrimination and not on a whim. I hope I am proved wrong and media practitioners retrace their steps, shun sentiments; seek out the truth and publish the hard facts on what really happened to Otunba Dipo Dina. Aluta Continua!
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