Niger state government has described as misleading, malicious and false, Monday’s report by AriseTV that the governor, Abubakar Sani-Bello was air lifted by helicopter from the busy Kaduna-Abuja Highway, due to traffic gridlock.
The Chief Press Secretary, Noel-Berje in a statement on Wednesday said that “Arise TV acted in error by not only relying on hearsay but also failed woefully in adhering to the core value of objective journalism by not reaching out to crosscheck the story before airing/rushing to the press.
“His Excellency, Niger state governor Abubakar Sani-Bello never airlifted contrary to reports that emanated from Arise TV and trended by other media, he rather waited patiently in the traffic.”
She demanded immediate retraction and apology for embarrassing the governor, whom she described as one of the most media-friendly leaders in the country.
“Arise TV is among the leading broadcast channels and as such should not be associated with this kind of brazen misconduct. I demand immediate retraction and apology from Arise TV to my boss, governor Abubakar Sani-Bello for the malicious report.
“By this singular act of professional misconduct, Arise TV opened the flood gate to other media to follow in the error.
“No society strives without robust media engagements. However, journalists must observe due diligence in the discharge of their duties to avoid doing damage to hard earned reputation,” she noted.
She maintained that the governor’s door is wide opened for journalists to crosscheck facts before airing/going to the press.
