By Daniel Kanu
Assistant Politics Editor
As Nigerians prepare for the 2019 general elections, Abia State Deputy Governor, Ude Oko Chukwu, and Majority leader, Abia State House of Assembly, Hon. Chinedum Orji, have challenged journalists in the country to ensure that they feed Nigerians with accurate information for proper direction.
Both spoke in Umuahia during the Grand finale week of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Broadcasting Corporation of Abia (BCA) chapel, recently.
While recognizing the media as an important pillar of democracy, Oko-chukwu appealed to journalists to always ensure fairness, truth and accuracy in reporting information, not only on government activities and critical issues but in line with the principles of responsible journalism.
Orji, who was the chairman of the occasion, spoke through his representative, Mr Tony Ezeigbo, just as he urged NUJ to ensure that journalists stick to the ethics of their profession.
He said that journalists had a responsibility to present accurate information at all times, insisting that it is only accurate facts and figures that can counter fake news.
Orji further advised journalists to uphold the traditional journalism standards of information verification and fact-checking before dissemination.
It would be recalled that a collaborative platform of no fewer than 15 news outfits from the print, electronic and online media participated in a project, CrossCheck Nigeria, inaugurated in Lagos on Wednesday, November 28, 2018, aimed at checking the threat of misinformation and fake news.