I am getting very much uncomfortable with the way Nigeria journalist now go about misleading Nigerians with bogus articles and misleading headlines to sell their papers. Take for example this front paper headline;

I’ll solve power problems in 2 months – Jonathan :By Samuel Oyadongha & Akpokona Omafuaire, Yenagoa (Vanguard Newspaper, Oct 24, 2010)
Then read the content of the article below;

President Goodluck Jonathan has declared that Federal Executive Council (FEC) will dedicate the last two months of the year to reviewing its activities and concentrating on solving the problems of unemployment, power and poor empowerment of Nigerians.

The president also spoke about legislations to ensure proper implementation of the agenda.

“We at the Federal Executive Council (FEC) will dedicate the rest of this year to discuss these issues and solve them,” he
stated yesterday.

Jonathan unfolded the agenda during an interactive session with stakeholders in Bayelsa State on day two of his working visit to his home state.

The president explained that whereas most of the executive bills to improve the situation in the country sent to the National Assembly had been politicised and misconstrued, he had asked the members of the National Economic Team and the FEC to develop solutions to the problems of unemployment, power and poor empowerment.

“The unemployment issue is a problem and I have informed the National Economic Team to look critically at ways of solving it and engaging the teeming youths of the nation. We will try and stimulate economic activities that will allow companies and industries to be established to absorb these youths,” the president added.

According to him, the solution to the nation’s problems was election of good leadership.

He noted that the diversity of the country will continue to be its source of strength, adding that the nation did not disintegrate as predicted by some politicians in spite of its problems.

Jonathan pointed out that the solution to the nation’s problems is that of leadership and when the nation began to elect good leadership in the next 15 years, it will become a great country in the comity of nations.

He informed the gathering of youth leaders, political leaders and traditional rulers that though the presidential awards to some notable Nigerians during the 50 years anniversary has come and gone, the complaints of omission of some names raised by some leaders should be considered a mistake.

The president said the yardstick used led to the exclusion. “It is difficult to accommodate all persons. It was not politics used. I always apologise and clear the committee of any blame,” the president stated.

Jonathan had at the commencement of the visit to Bayelsa, on Friday, reiterated the preparedness of the Federal Government to partner with state governors and the National Assembly to pull the country out of the woods and make it rank among the best in the comity of nations.

Speaking at a state banquet organised in his honour, he also challenged the youths of the Niger Delta to maximize the gains of the Federal Government amnesty programme so as to make the region attractive for investment.

According to the president, the task of developing the country could only be achieved with the support and cooperation of the state governors and members of the National Assembly.

“The only thing I can promise is that I will do my best to serve our own dear country as the president of the country, to make sure that we reposition our country in a way that will follow other developing nations of the world. I have to do that with the governors of the state and members of the National Assembly,” he said.

Jonathan had at the inception of his administration vowed to continue with the implementation of the seven-point agenda of his predecessor, Alhaji Umaru Yar’Adua.

The seven-point agenda had been criticized as being too large for the administration to handle as the critics said a few achievables would have served the interest of Nigerians.

On the agenda, among others, are power and energy, the Niger Delta, food security, wealth creation, education and security.

From the content, there was never a place where Mr. President made any such statement and/or promises, yet these bogus writers misconstrued the president's speech for cheap financial gain, thereby heating up the polity unecessarily!

and this as well:


http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art201010243321914

[size=18pt]Presidency’s plane lands in school[/size]

An aircraft conveying President Goodluck Jonathan’s aides, landed in a primary school last Wednesday amidst pandemonium. TOYOSI OGUNSEYE writes that over 12 students were injured in the stampede


It looked like a scene from a movie. Initially, pupils of Apostolic Church Secondary School, Ketu, Lagos, saw the aircraft hovering in the air and this was enough to distract those sitting close to the windows from their early morning classes.


The teachers in different classes that morning were curious about what their pupils were looking at, so they also looked out of the window and saw that the [size=18pt]plane[/size] was descending closer to the roof of the building.


No one needed to tell them to run. Once the teachers took to their heels, perhaps thinking it was air mishap, the students followed en masse. With loud screams, everyone ran as fast as their legs could carry them. Some of the students on the second floor of the school building attempted to jump down in a bid to save their lives. [size=18pt]One of them was an eight-year-old JSS1 student [/size]who landed on her buttocks and could no longer stand. Eleven other students were severely injured.


While this pandemonium was going on, the airforce plane with number NAV541 landed on the school premises. Heavily armed soldiers alighted from the aircraft and surveyed the area without saying a word.


When the fleeing students and members of staff saw that the aircraft had successfully landed, they surrounded it, with curiosity written all over their faces. The scene further attracted passers-by and people in the neighbourhood who trooped to the school. The armed soldiers ignored the crowd, went back into the plane and, after a few minutes, took off.


The injured students were then taken to the school‘s official clinic, Delta Crown Hospital, Ketu, where some of them were given first-aid treatment and discharged. Two of the students were still in the hospital as at last Thursday, including the young girl who fell from one of the two-storey buildings in the school.[size=18pt] An X-ray showed that the girl had no broken bones but she had a severe tear in her private part, which had to be stitched.
[/size]

The mothers of one of the children who were admitted in the hospital pleaded anonymity and said, “I have five children in that school. I thank God that my daughter is alive and I‘m not crying. I am not ready to make a case of this or even talk to the media because God has given me a reason to rejoice and not cry.”


One of the people in the area who witnessed the incident identified himself as Yemi. According to him, he was about to have his bath when he felt the building shaking. He said, ”I live just two houses away from the school. I had an appointment that morning and was about to have my bath when I heard a very loud noise outside; my room was also vibrating. So, I looked out of the window and saw a plane moving towards the ground. I ran out of my house in my boxers.”


Yemi added that he joined the crowd when the plane landed. ”When some of the soldiers alighted from the plane, they left the door slightly ajar. I saw some soldiers inside, but some people whispered that the President was inside the plane.”


It was gathered that the pilot and some of the crew muttered that the plane had ‘a problem.‘


The school authorities declined to make any comment about the incident. It was however gathered that Ketu Police Division, and the Lagos State ministries of health and education visited the school and the hospital a day after Jonathan‘s visit.


The Public Relations Officer of the Lagos State Police Command, Mr. Frank Mba, could not confirm SUNDAY PUNCH‘s findings. He said, he was not aware of the incident.


The President was on a visit to the flooded areas in Ajegunle, Agboyi-Ketu Local Council Development Area on October 20 when the plane made an emergency landing in the school.


The Director, Public Relations and Information of the Airforce, Air Commodore Yusuf Anas said, “It was a flight to survey the area where the president was visiting. It was not an emergency flight. The presidential aides were in it. We were not aware that 12 children were injured.”


Efforts to speak to the senior special assistant to the president on media and publicity, Ima Niboro, proved abortive. When our correspondent called his mobile line on Friday night, he did not pick it. Neither did he respond to the text message sent to him.


It could be recalled that a Cessna Model T9B training aircraft belonging to the Nigeria College of Aviation Technology, Zaria, Kaduna State, crash-landed at a village just outside Kano on May 2, 2010. It plunged into a farmland at Katoge Village, directly behind the Science Secondary School at Dawakin Tofa, about 20 kilometres from Kano City.


Three occupants of the light training plane escaped unhurt and the aircraft was not badly damaged. Those on board the plane included the college instructor, Mr. Ozogwu as well as Akerele Ojo Olu and Jafar Suleman, who are trainees.



8 year old JSS1 student? - this is enough lie to send the writer to hell

private parts torn - hmmmmm

A plane or an helicopter?

^^^Exactly! Articles such as these makes me feel there should be a punishment for these journalist, however I am not exactly sure what sort of punishment it should be as any action taken against journalist these days is  seen as oppression of some sort. Beside come to think of it, when a Dr or an Engr does not live up to the expectation of the ethics of his/her profession, most times they get struck off the list of practising profesionals but I can not recall when ot where a journalist has been struck off or made to pay for their careless mistake by any body whatsoever!

Let us find a way to purnish corrupt leaders first. In my opinion that is a more pressing problem, with journalist, you can disregard them of class the paper as junk.

Corrupt politicians first

^^^^^^^

Realy?

Punish journalists? Such is the sign of retrogressive societies. Not everything a journalist writes will be true. Journalists or any media that is fond of untruth should soon get discredited - according to the mood of the society. If that is not the case then you have to look within the larger society.

Omo_Tier1:

^^^Exactly! Articles such as these makes me feel there should be a punishment for these journalist, however I am not exactly sure what sort of punishment it should be as any action taken against journalist these days is  seen as oppression of some sort. Beside come to think of it, when a Dr or an Engr does not live up to the expectation of the ethics of his/her profession, most times they get struck off the list of practising profesionals but I can not recall when ot where a journalist has been struck off or made to pay for their careless mistake by any body whatsoever!

^

hahahah


Only retrogressive societies punish seditious publications and outright fabrications.

"Not everything a journalist writes will be true" How can someone make that statement? Is that what they teach in journalism schools? LOL.


hmmm.

Sue them if they fabricate against you. Even the FG can sue a publication. What I am trying to tell you is that the government doesn't need to portray itself as intolerant to achieve what may indeed be right.  Figure out ways to make them retract their stories and publish the truth. After a couple of such retractions a paper would be discredited. The owner of such media would know what to do with any such journalist that brings such disrepute to his business.

To talk of government punishing journalists is RETROGRESSIVE. A government that attempts such fallacies is showing its true intentions - fascism is on the horizon. It would reveal a lack of creativity in resolving difficulties without resorting to the sacred instruments of violence entrusted to the REPRESENTATIVES OF THE PEOPLE.

By the way, the crime of sedition and treason are supposed to meet an almost impossible threshold that it would be almost impossible to arrest someone for these unless they actually pick up a gun against the state or give active support to such. We know those who have committed such high level crimes against Nigeria over the last 50 or so years; some of them want to be president tomorrow.

Sedition and treason is not supposed to be the charges for lying or speaking against the government whoever IT may be.

LouisThoro:

^
hahahah
Only retrogressive societies punish seditious publications and outright fabrications.
"Not everything a journalist writes will be true" How can someone make that statement? Is that what they teach in journalism schools? LOL.
hmmm.

@poster,
journalism as a profession has ethics and attractive headlines can be part of their trade.
if journalism is all about passing information, then u are one of them by posting this topic. if u think they are misleading nigerians, then u are misleading us here by overlookingour pressing problems(power supply and corrupt leaders) to discuss journalism.
where were u when AIT and its staff were beaten and flogged for telling nigerians the truth on third term agenda?
every nigerian is desperate for a change but we always do the right thing at the wrong time.
99% of fake information from our journalists are sponsored by the govt and if these media houses refuse to work with govt, they will have problems so what do u expect from them?
corruption is very bad because under every corrupt leadership, everyother sector will either infected or affected. the name of the game is called; THE SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST.

^^

No wonder Nigeria is where she is.

Speak against what you dont like, but dont speak against what u like.

1025:

@poster,
journalism as a profession has ethics and attractive headlines can be part of their trade.
if journalism is all about passing information, then u are one of them by posting this topic. if u think they are misleading nigerians, then u are misleading us here by overlookingour pressing problems(power supply and corrupt leaders) to discuss journalism.
where were u when AIT and its staff were beaten and flogged for telling nigerians the truth on third term agenda?
every nigerian is desperate for a change but we always do the right thing at the wrong time.
99% of fake information from our journalists are sponsored by the govt and if these media houses refuse to work with govt, they will have problems so what do u expect from them?
corruption is very bad because under every corrupt leadership, everyother sector will either infected or affected. the name of the game is called; THE SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST.

YOU ARE MAKING A GRAVE MISTAKE FOR THINKING THAT WE ONLY NEED TO TACKLE POWER SUPPLY AND CORRUPT LEADERS. Information in today's world can set a country on fire within few mins. I posted this question because most times, our journalist always act and think they are the saints in the country whereas they are as corrupt and rottenas the very corrupt leaders they accuse daily of ruining Nigeria. Have you forgotten so soon the Noctunal Journalist that flirted with IBB and took "Transport" fares home and the next day all the dailies were awashed with headlines about IBB? My question is: can a journalist not make a name, hence money by being honest in the reportage and article content?

I was 9 in JSS1. And that was way back in 1991.
it's not inconceivable that you'd have an 8 year old in JSS1. Would be bloody difficult, though.

you tell enough lies you lose credibility

boy who cried wolf and all that

why do you think fox news is reviled by all but the most hardcore conservatives?

Re: How Should Nigeria Punish Journalist That Mislead The Public?

Simple: stop buying their newspapers. . .