A professor of mass communication and vice chancellor of the Federal University Kashere (FUK), Gombe State Umaru Pate has charged media practitioners in the country on investigative reporting.
He gave the charge yesterday during a Maiden Colloquium organized by an online newspaper Wikki Times with support from Mac Arthur Foundation for stakeholders in the media with the theme “News Desert: Sustaining Democracy Through Fearless Grassroot Accountability Journalism” held at Mahcozy Guest House Gombe.
Pate opined that for the media houses to be credible and respected by the public, they should engage in investigative journalism with a view revealing societal problems and holding leaders accountable to the masses.
“If we want the media to discharge properly the function of agenda setting, the media must engage in investigations. Not just investigation to reveal corruption or the stealing of government resources, there are several other issues”. He said.
The vice chancellor said investigative reporting requires courage adding that the assumption is that trained journalists are courageous and should do the needful in terms of investigations to effect change in the society.
Pate who described journalists as paramount workers in the society deplored the rise in the cases of harassment against journalists pointing out that in recent time, there were over 90 cases of harassment of newsmen in the country which he said were unacceptable.
Earlier, the publisher of the medium Haruna Mohammed Salisu said journalists should divert attention to accountability journalism with a view to holding those in power to account.
He however noted that such type of journalism requires funding because of the thorough investigation a journalist will embark upon to gather his facts calling on donor agencies to support interested media houses.
