By Zik Gbemre
Without a doubt, United States of America (USA) President Donald Trump, has had his fair share of ups and downs with, not only the US Press Media, but also those across the globe. Right from the months leading to the US Presidential Campaigns and the election, to his swearing in and even up till now, President Donald Trump has made more headlines news than any political leader across the world. But in all, President Trump has been able to ‘manage’, and even come over board – the media hype, attacks, inaccurate and sometimes damaging reports often based on presumptions and assumptions, usually against him and his style of governance and policies. It is in the light of this that we believe there is so much the Nigerian/African Media, as well as their Political leaders can learn from the US President to shape theirs.
For instance, President Trump while recently speaking at what is being called a “campaign event” at the Orlando-Melbourne International Airport in Florida, surprisingly invited a supporter to come onstage and address the crowd of reportedly 9,000 people. While the President Trump was beginning to outline the ways in which he was supportive of the US Police Officers, he turned his attention to a gentleman who he said had been “all over television, saying the best things.” He then instructed the man to join him onstage. As the man fought his way through the crowd, the Secret Service detail briefly detained him, but Trump told them to let him through telling them he was not “worried” about the man. The gentleman hugged the President and then briefly addressed the crowd: “Mr. President — we the people…are the reason our President is standing in front of us today,” he said. “When Trump promised us all these things he was gonna do for us, I knew he was gonna do this for us.” As the man left the stage, Trump told the crowd, “A star is born…I wouldn’t say the Secret Service was thrilled with that, but we know our people, right?” The crowd chanted “USA! USA!” in response.
One thing we could deduce from President Trump’s move/rally as described above, is that he seems like one who wants to develop a close/intimate relationship with his followers and the American citizenry, and to also hear from the masses or have a first-hand knowledge of what the people actually think about him and his governance. And not rely on the Media with their usual stories/news of events happening in the country. To have allowed a complete stranger, right from the crowd, to come on stage and speak his mind without any audit or screening of what to say; means President Trump wants to also show the American people and indeed the whole world how ‘transparent’ and ‘open-door-policy’ practice his administration has been and will continue to be. That singular act, is something we do not witness in Nigerian and African Politics by our Political Leaders. When it does happen, especially during political parties’ election campaigns, such ‘stage-talks’ are usually ‘coated with sugar’ by those ‘carefully selected’ to do so to make their ‘usual empty promises’.
We also believe the said President Trump’s rally was carried out to correct some of the ‘wrong impressions’ already created in the hearts of the US citizenry by some of the major US Media outlet like CNN, and to properly inform the people of what the President Trump’s intentions are for US.
It is a known fact that the Media has a vital role to play in ‘shaping the events’ happening in any democratic dispensation of any country at every point in time. The Media’s role (via journalists/freelance journalists/writers and through any channel – print or electronic), is to report what they see/observe/heard/gathered through investigations – exactly as they are, without any addition/subtraction/distortions/manipulations and what have you. The usual practice of using ‘catchy headlines’ (just to promote sales and patronage), that often not truely represent what was being reported, should be discouraged. The Media is to report/inform the public through news that are factual and honest, and they are to be fair and responsible, and at the same time ‘remain impartial/neutral’ in all of their reporting and analysis of unfolding events in any political setting. Anything shot of this will amount to ‘misinformation’, ‘unfounded/baseless presumptions and assumptions’ – which often leads to different sectors and sections of the polity getting ‘heated up’ over something that could have been avoided.
A credible and reliable Media outlet should always check and recheck their news before reporting, especially on ‘sensitive national issues’ that have the propensity to ‘heat up’ the polity. And such reporting, should strictly be done on ‘neutral grounds’ without any iota of favoritism, bias, prejudice and partiality. This should be the hallmark of all Nigerian and African Media outlets.
Zik Gbemre,JP.
National Coordinator
Niger Delta Peace Coalition (NDPC)
