The National Broadcasting Commission has advised broadcast stations in Nigeria to ensure balance and fair reporting of the elections, in adherence to the ethics of the profession.
This was the kernel of a meeting between officials of the commission and representatives of broadcast stations held in Abuja on Tuesday.
The Director General of the commission, Emeka Mba, said the reminder was necessary considering the critical role of the media in modern politics.
“We have seen that a large number of stations follow the code, but we know also that there are deviations from the code.
“But because we know that this is a very crucial time many slight deviations may occur. Broadcasting is, you would have said it, it would have gone out and the damage may already have been done so when you are trying to retract it the damage may have been done already,” he said
Political campaigns are intensifying in Nigeria, with political parties travelling around the country to woo voters.
The electoral umpire is also working hard to put everything in place for the elections.
The relevance of the media in the society and the need for fair reporting had triggered the meeting which the commission said was necessary to give the media a better understanding of their role towards free and fair general elections.
The meeting allowed participants to discuss how the media could ensure fairness, decency and access during political broadcasts and take their responsibility seriously.
Most of the broadcasters were told to encourage issue based campaigns in a bid to help ensure the general elections would be violence free and credible.