The Nigerian Guild of Editors, NGE has reaffirmed its commitment to defending and promoting the cause of democracy and press freedom in the country.
The Guild expressed the position in a communiqué issued at the conclusion of its town hall meetings and capacity building conferences taken round the six geo-political zones of the country.
President of the Editors Mustapha Isah, and General Secretary Iyobosa Uwugiaren applauded the United States Embassy in Nigeria for sponsoring the regional training workshops for 350 editors across the six geopolitical zones. It also called on the Embassy to support step-down trainings for line editors and reporters.
The NGE emphasised that its members, in the run up to the 2023 general elections, would ensure the electorate is provided with credible information.
The Editors however resolved to explore the use of fact checking tools to verify stories as part of the process of erasing the credibility gap, adding that the step was necessary amidst increasing misinformation, disinformation and deliberate falsehood in cyberspace.
NGE urged the media to make use of the Freedom of Information Act, FOIA noting that it could assist in dealing with problems of anonymity of sources and help to instill greater credibility on stories.
