Attempt To Gag The Media In Kano And Lessons To Learn
By Hashim Muhammad Suleiman
Indeed, for communication starters, though they may think communication is an all-comers’ affair, the Kano short-lived debacle has cleared their doubts and cleanse their eyes of the mucus through which they thought communication could be deciphered.
To start with, communication which information is part of, is not for the lilly livered persons that’d always jump the gun and try to solve communicative issues via the powers of the gun and uniform. Such personalities should know and also imbibe the time tested maxim that communication issues are easily solved through communication, not through threats and forceful summons.
Secondly, as a face of government, a communication’s politically exposed person is better secured within positive communication. And, inviting the police or invoking the threats of defamation are not and cannot be part and parcel of positive communication. To handle positive communication, concerned persons need to know that whatever they do, including things their principals aren’t aware of, would certainly rub back to the image of the principals. Hence, no politically savvy principal will continue to retain a PR person that brings bad and negative publicity to his political interests. Negative publicity gives malodorous stench to political interests.
Furthermore, a communication and information specialist is a social psychologist and an expert in the area of sociology of mass communication. He should be able to enter the heads of media and communication practitioners so as to be in a better position to know that the medium can be both the message and the massage. An information and communication manager that knows his mettle is the one who can change hostile media to working media in the absence of the public galore. Certainly, involving the police and the courts is the practice of those trained in legalise` not in mass communication.
Suffice it to say this, as a politically exposed person holding a political portfolio, the last thing your principal would tolerate is bad publicity, particularly bad publicity that should have been effectively managed by some basic media relations techniques. Basic media relations techniques that even year two university students of mass communication and public relations are aware of. Such techniques are less costly and more effective than trying to gag journalism through unnecessary police invites.
Let me reiterate this, the media, journalists and journalism are to democracy what oxygen is to the human body and soul. No matter how angry a human being is, he’s yet to fight oxygen and survive. As a political appointee under a democratic dispensation, fighting the media should be out of your thoughts process. Courting the media, understanding and appreciating the psychology of the media people are skills necessary for the survival of any spin doctor.
Take those freely given pieces of advice from me and sin no more.
Suleiman, PhD
