Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) will on Thursday in Lagos begin its South-West Town Hall meeting to galvanise media gatekeepers and news managers’ commitment to the highest ethical standard in the profession.
The NGE announced this in a statement jointly signed by its President, Mustapha Isah, and General Secretary, Iyobosa Uwugiaren, on Tuesday.
The Guild said the main objective of the meeting, with the theme: “Agenda Setting for Sustainable Democratic Culture”, was to assess media performance in consolidating Nigeria’s democracy-citizens verdict and outlining media agenda for the future.
According to the NGE, the meeting will also provide a platform for media stakeholders to remind editors and media managers of the duties they are tasked to perform on behalf of the people.
The NGE added that the town hall meeting, supported by the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria, would hold in turns across the six geo-political zones of the country.
According to the Guild, the town hall meeting, which will be followed by two days training programme for editors, is expected to instil in the gatekeepers the need to perform their duties with highest professional standard and sense of responsibility.
NGE added that the editors and media managers would be galvanised for commitment to the highest ethical standard at the meeting.
It said that the meeting and training would also reinforce the commitment of editors and news managers to the promotion and protection of the right to independent press, freedom of expression and the deepening of democracy.
“The NGE is hopeful that at the end of the project, a pool of editors will be mobilised to constantly projecting issue-based governance for the benefit of the Nigerian people in line with Section 22 of the 1999 Constitutiion of Federal Republic of Nigeria,” it said.