The All Progressives Congress (APC) seems to have told the President-elect, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, on Tuesday that it is too early in the day to start fighting the media – when it said that all accredited media organizations in the country, including the African Independent Television (AIT), are free to cover his activities.
The President-elect was reported to have banned AIT from covering his official activities citing security reasons. The action of the former military dictator has since on Monday generated wide and harsh criticisms across the country.
But in a statement issued in Abuja on Tuesday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said the incoming Buhari Administration will not discriminate against any media organization, irrespective of its role during the electioneering campaign leading up to the recent polls.
It however enjoined all media organizations to observe the highest level of professional standards in carrying out their duties.
According to APC, ”There is a Code of Ethics guiding the practice of journalism in Nigeria, and this demands every journalist to ensure a strict adherence to the highest levels of ethics and professionalism in carrying out their duties.
”There must be repercussions, within the realms of the law, for media organizations which have wantonly breached the Code of Ethics of the journalism profession and turned themselves to partisans instead of professionals. But such repercussions will not include barring any accredited media organization from covering the activities of the President-elect”.
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