President Bola Tinubu has called on Nigerian journalists to prioritise accuracy, professionalism, and responsible reporting, warning against sensationalism and the growing pursuit of online engagement at the expense of truth.
The president made the remarks on Thursday at the maiden State House Media Dinner in Abuja, where he reaffirmed his commitment to press freedom while emphasising the need for accountability in the exercise of that freedom.
“I am an apostle of a free press. I have defended and advocated for the rights of the media throughout my public life and will continue to do so,” Tinubu said.
He stressed that freedom of expression and press freedom should not be used to spread falsehoods or mislead the public, noting that rights must be balanced with responsibility.
“While press freedom and free speech remain the bedrock of an open and democratic society, journalists and citizens must not forget the imperative of balancing rights with responsibility and the duty they owe society to report with care, accuracy and fidelity to facts,” he said.
Tinubu urged media practitioners to choose facts over falsehoods, substance over sensation, and credibility over clickbait and the race for social media attention.
According to the president, the role of professional journalism has become even more critical in an era increasingly shaped by misinformation, disinformation, deepfakes and artificial intelligence-generated content.
“The public depends on journalists not merely to report events but to separate fact from fiction, truth from speculation and evidence from opinion,” he said.
“In a world where everyone with a smartphone is now a journalist, the responsibility of professional journalism has never been greater.”
Tinubu maintained that freedom of expression “is not freedom to defame,” just as press freedom “is not freedom to deliberately mislead.”
Speaking on the relationship between government and the media, the president described both institutions as partners in nation-building despite their differing roles in a democratic society.
“We are adversaries only in the democratic sense, as the media constantly distrust those in power. In nation-building, we are partners,” he said.
He noted that while government is tasked with leadership and service delivery, the media serves the public by scrutinising those in authority, asking difficult questions and ensuring accountability.
Tinubu also defended laws regulating activities in the digital space, including the Cybercrimes Act, saying they are intended to protect citizens from malicious falsehoods, cyberstalking, identity theft and other online abuses rather than undermine press freedom.
“These safeguards are not intended to weaken press freedom. Rather, they exist to protect citizens and preserve the integrity of our information ecosystem,” he said.
The president further highlighted what he described as gains from his administration’s economic reforms, citing stronger public revenues, increased allocations to state governments, improved investor confidence, healthier foreign reserves and renewed investments in the oil and gas sector.
On security, Tinubu said military operations had intensified across various parts of the country, supported by enhanced intelligence gathering and stronger collaboration among security agencies.
“As a result, thousands of criminal elements and terrorists have been neutralised, numerous hostages rescued and communities previously under threat reclaimed,” he said.
The president concluded by calling for greater cooperation between government and the media while preserving the press’s constitutional role as a watchdog.
“Let us replace needless hostility with constructive engagement. Let us replace sensationalism with professionalism. Let us replace the pursuit of outrage with the pursuit of truth,” he said.
“Together, let us continue building a nation where truth matters, accountability thrives, democracy flourishes and every Nigerian has reason to believe in the promise of our country.”
