Most media houses usually have more information than what they give out for public consumption. Why? Freelance and guest writers often complain that some of the materials which they laboured hard to put together are not published. This is to be expected. No media house can survive on the basis of publish-and-perish policy. Such hardline posture is rarely helpful, and so, comes the need to manage information with professional skill and discretion, in the interest of peace and stability.
Hypocrisy in journalism comes in under the old idiom that a good soldier stays alive to be able to fight another day. Good judgment and the application of professional discretion may not always arise from cowardice, but the nobility of heart. One legal luminary, Professor Ben Nwabueze, introduced to Nigerians the concept of Imperfect Obligation, which is a vital tool in the application of professional discretion. Ours is an imperfect society and it is not a rational posture to demand perfection in an imperfect society.
For purposes of peace and stability in society there is usually some interaction or understanding between top state security operatives and the Guild of Editors, to ensure that the society is not plunged into chaos by audacious writers and journalists. Thus each media house comes up with In-House Policy and guidelines on the management of information in its reporting and editorial activities. Even private media organizations can hardly adopt a radical editorial policy, at least, for the reason that there are glass houses, stone throwers and professional “diggers” with prying eyes.
Despite the existence of a Freedom of Information Law, there are safe limits of what can be given out for public consumption. Besides, there are sensitive information and officially classified documents which, in the interest of political stability, peace and national security, should not be divulged or handled carelessly. Seditious and undesirable publications are dealt with in Section 50 of the Criminal Code, Laws of Nigeria, while Section 51 spells out what amounts to offences.
What constitutes defamation is dealt with in Section 373 of the Criminal Code, Laws of Nigeria and defined as “matter likely to injure the reputation of person by exposing him to hatred, contempt or ridicule, or likely to damage any person in his profession or trade by an injury to his reputation…” Therefore, writers should be mindful of what they publish, although Section 377 of the law on undesirable publications states that: “The publication of defamatory matter is not an offence if the publication is, at the time it is made, for the public benefit and if the defamatory matter is true”. Similarly, the publication of obscene material which offends public morality is an indictable offence.
Is it hypocrisy or patriotism if a journalist or a writer stays his pen, even when he has facts and proof of some wrong doing, if his judgement tells him that publishing such information would plunge the society into chaos and instability? Obviously, there are Nigerians in possession of sensitive information which, if published would mean disaster both for the writer, publishing house and the nation generally. A hypocrite is someone who assumes a holier-than-thou posture. In an imperfect society does anyone have such moral standing and audacity to point fingers?
Hypocrisy or cowardice comes in where the odds of saying the truth expose the writer and the society to dangers. Who would want to take such audacious risk? Moreover, self-preservation and safety guidelines demand that, like a good soldier, a journalist should stay alive, to be able to write in the days ahead. One of the imperfections of Nigeria is that the man of might, muscle and money wins more accolades than a humble man of truth. The public is more likely to take sides with the macho-man than give support to a journalist whose pen offends men of might. The world is still deceived with ornaments.
Who would not fear the tyrant, who either by public war or private treason, will take away your life? Power holders are always jittery about their deficiencies and secrets being exposed by an audacious journalist. They would do everything to put such journalist in a position of disadvantage or silence. The justification for putting audacious writers where they belong derives from the fact that no one is clean enough to point dirty fingers at another. Measures taken to checkmate “hypocritical journalists” include the use of paid agents to rubbish audacious writers.
Since the end of the Nigeria Civil War in 1970, there have been litanies of crimes against the nation which, even when known, could not be reported publicly. Looting of property and public money did occur during and after the war, such that great wealth of the moment derived from looting activities. There were many sacred cows who engaged in hard drug business, while some imported the Nigerian currency massively into the country between 1970 and 1979. Those who knew about these were helpless.
Now the games of hypocrisy and sanctimony are taking some more audacious guises, while the degree of rot and decay in the society gets worse. Taking the lingering movements of massive herds of cattle into farming communities in western and southern parts of Nigeria, as one example, many Nigerians know the ulterior motives but there is hypocritical silence. Or, is it fear or cowardice that accounts for the silence? Someone suggested that there is a conspiracy of silence, since there are stones ready to be thrown at other dwellers in glass houses. Who cannot be rubbished with a plot?
Major owners of marauding cattle across Nigeria and who also arm the herds with prohibited firearms, are known to some inquisitive people. Yet, to publish such information can be dangerous. Then the oil and gas sector is about the most risky ground to dabble into. Some Nigerians, including journalists, know “sacred cows” behind malpractices, including crude oil bunkering and stealing, in the oil and gas sector. It would be suicidal to open the can of worms or spoil the breakfast of the oil champions. Besides, the law on hate speech has many dragnets.
Protectionist gang-ups are global practices meant to preserve hard-earned privileges, wealth, faces and names, such that audacious opponents can be silenced with ease and alacrity. If retired General T. Y. Danjuma could say that “the armed forces are not neutral. They are conniving with the armed bandits that are killing people”, then the apparent hypocrisy or cowardice of the journalist can be appreciated better.

Dr. Amirize is a retired lecturer from the Rivers State University, Port Harcourt.