SPEECHES

Chargé d' Affaires Thomas P. Furey
Remarks
Nigerian Media Training Workshop
“The Role of the Media in Promoting Free and Fair Elections in Nigeria”

March 12, 2007, 9:00 a.m.
Abuja

Protocols.

It is an honor and a pleasure to be here this morning to open this media training workshop on the Role of the Media in Promoting Free and Fair Elections in Nigeria.

This workshop is important because it supports of all of our collective expectations for the upcoming Presidential and Gubernatorial elections – that they be conducted in a peaceful and credible manner, and that the results reflect the will of the electorate.

The American Government has sponsored hundreds of media training programs in the more than 90 years we have enjoyed diplomatic relations with Nigeria, but this training constitutes the largest and perhaps the most important we have so far provided.

We are indeed fortunate on this occasion to secure the services of three well known and experienced journalists from the United States - Arnold Isaacs, Mike Beardsley and Stephen Coon.  Gentlemen, thank you for your participation.

The media is a vital, essential, and central player in promoting free and fair elections.

The U.S. Mission to Nigeria promotes freedom of the press as a core component of the American constitution and our diplomatic policy goals.  Worldwide, we often call attention to efforts to restrict media, and we vigorously support the independence of reporters, producers and broadcasters to practice their craft free of fear of reprisal.

We do this because we believe that a free press is an unassailable building block of democracy and the media should be allowed to operate freely, without unnecessary government regulations.  However, I must caution you that responsible journalists and their institutions have a solemn responsibility to their readers and viewers.

There are four main aspects of these responsibilities: First and foremost, journalists must be objective and unequivocal in separating news from opinion.  Second, there must be explicit separation between paid advertisements and news; reporters should always avoid conflicts of interest.  Third, competing points of view must be balanced and fairly characterized.  Finally, individuals who are the subject of adverse news stories should be allowed a reasonable opportunity to respond.

During the preparation for the upcoming gubernatorial and presidential elections, it is your duty, as members and leaders of the Nigerian media, to ask the hard questions, and serve as an intermediary between all parties involved in the political process.

Also remember that elected representatives are accountable to the people, the voters who place their trust in the men and women elected to represent them.

You exert an enormous amount of power and influence, and I urge you to discharge your responsibilities zealously, efficiently, and with a clear sense of purpose.

I wish you well in your training today.

You have a responsibility that extends beyond your borders and your shores.

In countries around the world, elections have served to help resolve long-standing conflicts and initiate or consolidate democratic transitions.   

Fair elections have become an increasingly critical requirement for governments to have legitimacy in the eyes of the international community and their own citizens.

Electoral legitimacy and outcomes, in turn, greatly affect the prospects for effective governance.

Nigeria stands at the crossroads along the path to democracy, and competitive elections can be the catalyst for profound political change not only in this country, but across the African continent.

Thank you.