UNITED States Ambassador to Nigeria, James
Entwistle, has hailed Nigerian media’s
enlightenment on the use of card readers and
permanent voter cards for the just concluded
2015 election, saying that the innovations helped
in ensuring the success of the national and state
elections.

The ambassador spoke at an event organised at
the American Embassy in Abuja to mark this
year’s World Press Freedom Day.

Entwistle applauded the Nigerian media for its
nationalistic approach, particularly in ensuring
that the electorate was duly informed of the
importance of the card readers and the PVCs,
which held to make the difference in the polls.
The envoy also praised the media for helping to
propagate the message of peace before, during
and after the elections, thereby bringing about
non-violent outcomes.

Entwistle said: “I was also impressed with the
manner in which Nigeria media took up the cause
of non-violence and regularly called the on
candidates to publicly take what I call the non-
violence pledge. Freedom of the press in the First
Amendment of the Bill of Rights, states that in as
much as this freedom is backed up, it should not
be seen as something at one’s disposal.”

The ambassador urged the media to avoid single
sources and push for a balanced opinion, no
matter how reliable the source may be. According
to him, the approach would help to reduce
misinformation of facts, which may taint the
image of the press.

Entwistle said that the Press Freedom Day was a
celebration of an important freedom for the
press, as it brings to the fore the significance of
the freedom of the press and remind the
governments of their duty to respect and uphold
the right to freedom of expression enshrined in
Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights.

Mr Samson Itodo, who is the Head Research Policy
and Advocacy of the Youth Initiative For
Advocacy, Growth and Development, said the
media did credibly well in raising the confidence of
the electorate and also commended the US envoy
for his campaign of non-violence before the
elections. Itodo also criticized the National
Broadcasting Commission over failure to regulate
the hate and vitriolic speeches that dominated
the airwaves stressing that the media should
assist in building institutions for the interest of
the people rather than the government in power.
Managing Director, Daar News Services, Mr Imoni
Amarere, in his contribution sought to play down
on the attack on his organisation for being
partisan, claiming that the station played by the
rule during the campaigns. Amarere, however,
accused sections of the media of succumbing to
partisanship and throwing professionalism to the
winds, adding that some others succumbed to
political pressure, proprietary interest and the
lure of advert revenue to do some unethical
things.

He noted that useful lessons were learnt from the
elections stressing that it is possible for the
people to wrestle power and sovereignty and hand
same to who they please.


http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/05/2015-polls-medias-role-on-pvc-use-card-readers-made-difference-entwistle/