Tina Amanda
Media practitioners have been called on to maintain ethically responsible reporting, in order to reduce fear and tension that people are currently facing as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Rivers State Chairman of the Association of Public Health Physician of Nigeria, Dr Omosivie Maduka, made the call during training for media practitioners and health correspondent, on COVID 19 ethical reporting organised by Public Health Physician of Nigeria and Medical Women Association of Nigeria Rivers State.
According to her, in this time of Coronavirus pandemic, the media is expected to report news from a humanity point of view, adding that the media should always get facts from the right sources, such as Rivers State Ministry of Health, National Center for Disease Control.
She stressed that the media should avoid breaking or spreading the news that are unconfirmed on social media platforms, electronics or print, which can be wrongly received by members of the public.
“First of all, there is a need to report the truth, but the truth can only come from reliable sources. We are urging the media to make sure their information sources on COVID 19 is from National Center for Disease Control or Rivers State Ministry of Health Emergency Operations, any other source of information about suspected or confirmed COVID cases is conjecture and should not be reported.
“We are talking about fear and panic, so the media needs to report in such a way that fear and tension will reduce, they should help people get useful information as to take authority over their lives. Let them not engage in sensational kind of reportage that will create fear and panic, this is time for facts, not fear, time for rationality, not rumours, time for solidarity not stigma”
On her part, State President Medical Women Association, Dr Vethy Agala, urged media organisations to use their various medium to convey useful and helpful preventive COVID 19 information to people in the rural communities of the state.
“Not everybody watches Television in the rural area, lots of people in the rural areas listen to the radio, so if media organizations commit to having programmes where people come around to speak or convey information on COVID 19, I am sure it will go a long way to educate the people. This is one of the things we hope to achieve and we are hoping that it will be achieved”
She, however, advised that sanitizers should not be applied on the body or face, but should only be used on the hand after a proper hand wash with soap.
