In the wake of its four-day annual conference in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, the Nigeria Guild of Editors (NGE) echoed the measures so far adopted by the Federal Government to boost the economy. But he said the path to full economic recovery must not be littered with the “carcasses” of people unable to survive the stifling heat of the current situation.
Therefore, the Association of Professional Editors in Nigeria urges the Federal Government to He called for alleviating people’s deafening anxiety. , high interest rates, high trade costs, declining purchasing power, rising production costs, rising energy costs, low industrial capacity utilization and declining profit margins.
The conference, attended by publishers, media executives, and senior editors from print, electronic, and online media from across the country, urged governments at all levels to take immediate steps to cushion the immediate impact of the sacrifices made by Nigerians in the path to economic recovery. requested that it begin virtually.
In the communiqué signed by NGE Chairman Eze Anaba and General Secretary Iyobosa Ougialen on Monday, the editors also said that in view of the important role of the media in deepening democracy and economic growth, the Federal Government will: He said: This is a large and unique role to play in the sustainability of media in this country.
On media sustainability and the existential threat from Big Tech, the conference calls on the federal government to uphold adopted global bargaining norms through legislation that forces tech platforms like Google and Facebook to negotiate. recommended following ongoing trends around the world. Pay content usage fees to local news organizations.
According to the council, “The bargaining provision allows publishers to bargain collectively without violating antitrust laws. It also requires technology platforms to negotiate with publishers about the use of news snippets. Taxes digital advertising and uses the revenue to subsidize news organizations.
“Since then, the EU, US, Canada, India, Brazil, Australia and others have adopted their own media bargaining norms through various laws, requiring big tech companies to pay them for news they use and sell, but not produce. It has been gaining momentum since Australia’s strong victory and is gaining global support.”
The meeting also discussed the current state of Nigeria’s broadcasting sector and called on the Federal Government to strengthen the broadcasting regulatory body, the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), in the general interest of the broadcasting sector.
“The legally established National Broadcasting Commission in Nigeria is not an independent body like in the US or UK. Parliament should amend the NBC Act to make it an autonomous body reporting only to Parliament and not to the Minister of Information. be.
“Such operational independence, free from arbitrary government interference, will further increase the sense of professionalism in the industry, rather than constantly emerging from obscurity to expose media organizations. “NBC and electronic media organizations should hold regular roundtables on issues of mutual interest,” the communiqué added.
In the meeting, both NBC and electronic media organizations are currently in a dog-to-dog relationship, and instead of building and maintaining harmonious relationships through the exchange of ideas, NBC is setting traps before they pounce on media companies. said that only. The goodness of the industry.
On freedom of the press, the conference said that every right comes with a corresponding responsibility. And journalists must abide by the professional ethics rules of journalism and carefully deal with intrusive laws against the industry.