Some maritime security assets acquired under NIMASA’s Deep Blue Project, which has drastically reduced piracy and other maritime crimes in Nigeria and across the entire Gulf of Guinea region.

A communications expert and lecturer at the Mass Communication department of the University of Lagos, Prof Abigail Ogwezz-Ndisika has said that there is a nexus between adhering strictly to media ethics by journalists covering Nigeria’s maritime industry and promoting national security as well as growth and development of the industry. This would in turn attract foreign investments.

The Professor spoke at a one-day training workshop for maritime journalists organised by the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency NIMASA in collaboration with the Nigerian Army School of Public Relations and Information NASPRI aimed at preserving national security and enhancing Foreign Direct Investment FDI inflow.

The theme of the workshop, which held in Lagos, Tuesday was: “An assessment of the pattern of reportage among Nigerian maritime journalists: implications for national security and Foreign Direct Investments”.

Delivering a lecture entitled: ‘Ethics and Maritime Reportage’, Prof Ogwezz-Ndisika observed that the social objectives of communication is to disseminate information impartially, news and opinions in a manner that encourages meaningful and articulate dialogue and discussion of issues of public interest, as well as to promote physical, mental and social well-being of the people.

According to her maritime transport (or ocean transport) and fluvial transport, or more generally waterborne transport, is the transport of people (passengers) or goods (cargo) via waterways. Freight transport by sea is widely used globally.

The Prof also said that maritime transport can be realised over any distance by boat, ship, sailboat or barge over oceans and lakes, through canals or along rivers. Shipping may be for commerce, recreation or for military purposes.

Similarly, she defined ethics as a study of right conduct; rules and guidelines designed to regulate human actions while making moral decisions; as ethical codes are designed to restrict actions to the accepted norms in the society.

 In the light of this, she held that media ethics could be defined as a sub-sect of applied ethics specifically dealing with the ethical principles and standards of media, including broadcast media, film, theatre, the arts, print media and the Internet

While charging maritime media practitioners to always aim at promoting public interest and national security through their reportage of the industry, she noted this would ultimately engender the inflow of foreign direct investments, which would enhance the growth and development not only of the maritime industry but also Nigeria’s macro economy.

She insists that anything to the contrary, apart from acting outside the ambit of the law which could result in law suits, will disrupt the peace and security of the country; destroy the credibility of the journalists and media outfit, and portray them as very unprofessional in the calculus of national security.

“Journalists owe their audiences moral responsibilities, which are though ethical and referred to as soft law but are now codified. In the performance of their duties journalists are expected to obey certain rules and regulations that bind members of the profession based on certain fundamental journalistic principles applicable in all regions of the world, truthfulness, refusal of bribes and avoidance of plagiarism.

“Most ethical codes go beyond ‘not breaking the law’ to outline a social role for public interest journalism. A generic documentation of general ethical standards of Journalistic conduct is contained in the Code of Ethics for Nigerian Journalists drawn up by the the Nigerian Press Council. It emphasies the importance of factual, accurate, balanced and fair reporting as well as promoting the universal principles of human rights, democracy, justice, equity and peace

“Essentially, the Nigerian Press Council Code of ethics for journalists examined basic notions such as, truth, virtue, privacy, rights, offense, harm and freedom. A journalist should neither solicit nor accept bribe, gratification or patronage to suppress or publish information nor demand payment for the publication of news, which is inimical to the notion of news as a fair, accurate, unbiased and factual report of an event”, she said.

The university Don however observed that the practice of journalism in Nigeria is replete with several challenges, especially economic, as many media organisations are confronted with numerous operational and structural challenges that affect their efficiency and economic base.

She also cited the global economic meltdown, which has resulted in low patronage by advertisers and government; and low sales among consumers whose income is also dwindling.

“On the other hand, this has increased the crave for profit by media barons who own media out fits. The need for media ethics rises as news reporting becomes driven more and more by the free market rather than the truth.

“There is therefore the need for corporate organisations including government agencies such as NIMASA and the Nigerian Army to support the media practitioners as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility CSR, in terms of provision of technological tools and training to enable them do their jobs more efficiently and professionally”, Prof Ogwezz-Ndisika also said.