By Saminu Ibrahim
The Managing Director of NTA-TV enterprises, Maxwell Loko has described online journalism as the future of the media, saying it has come to stay.
He noted that practitioners of Online Journalism weigh a lot of powers, adding that the dilemma is that, “you are with so much enormous powers and capacity to influence, yet, you are operating in an unstructured and unregulated environment”.
Loko spoke on Wednesday, when he bagged the ‘Administrator of the Year’ award of the National Assembly New Media Forum, (a forum of online journalists) held in Abuja.
He lamented that because the online media is unregulated and unstructured, it comes with a lot of temptations for unwholesome and unethical practices.
“That’s why people like us will continuously appeal to a forum like yours that regulations start from you, as individuals. If you like, you can call it self censorship. You should begin to regulate yourself” Loko said.
Continuing, he said “I want to also caution you, that covering the National Assembly does not impose on you, the powers to think that you are only responsible to those who you cover at the National Assembly.
“People who do not have access to National Assembly also depend on you for factual information, for accurate information, so that you would become that critical nexus that is always necessary in dissemination of information to those we believe are the voiceless”.
According to Loko, “some people believe that, the New Media or Online Journalism, as it were, is in direct competition with the mainstream media, but that is not correct.
“I have continuously advocated that, rather than seeing us as competitors, we are only complementing each other and working towards the same objectives, of making sure that the voiceless has a voice; that the truth is told; that we will act as the nexus between those who have the powers and those who completely do not have powers”.
He explained that it is exciting that, when the systems all over the world are grabbing with the regulatory framework on how to curtail the excesses of the social media and online journalism, the National Assembly New Media Forum has taken it upon themselves that, “we can regulate ourselves, we can actually operate within the realm of professional journalism”.
Earlier in his remarks, chairman of the Forum, Comrade Yemi Itodo stated that the nomination of Loko for recognition as ‘Administrator of the Year’ was not unconnected to his uncommon attitude to public service and his expertise contributions at ensuring Nigeria actualize the transition from analog to digital broadcasting.
“By your membership of the switchover committee and with your deep experience in the broadcast industry, we have no doubt that Nigeria and Nigerians would be grateful to you, that your vast knowledge of modern techniques in global communication have helped positioned the country in favourable competition amongst the comity of nations” Itodo said.
He added that the recognition is to serve as stimulant in spurring the recipient to do more and greater for the country.
