Whether You Like It or Not, The Press is Your Friend

 

Picture Credit: Odyssey

By Sanni Juliet Oluwadarapupo

A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house. These were the exact words of Jesus the Messiah, when he was rejected by his own people. Well, the century is re-living itself in our present-day society and will invest deep into the future. By that time who knows what will now become of our very own: the one we forsook. A popular saying goes, ‘To whom much is given, much is expected. The state of journalism as a whole is an issue that raises concerns. It is an anomaly that Journalists, the figures who stand for the people, serving in the forefront bringing information vital to the people’s ears are downsized by the very populace they represent.

 I wonder why, when I enter the room and introduce myself as a representative of the press, I am welcomed with overly eager smiles. Sometimes, the room goes cold with all eyes staring at me as if I am a threat. Well to some people, that feeling is guaranteed but not to the ones we advocate for. I mean, what do we gain to achieve? Why treat me with such apprehension when all I just do is to write the truth. The unfair state of how journalists are being treated begs the question of what the future holds for them. My fingers can’t really grasp the reason why most people hate the essence of the press. The very presence of it makes some people’s blood shiver or trigger some to fear. Well, those responses are likely perceived as the press is no respecter of any man but people misinterpret the real essence of what the press stands for.

In a society where the press is nonexistent, it is set up for confusion. Most people misinterpret the core value of what the press stands for. We are our own problem, our own issue and if we are not ready to create solutions to the pitfall we have made for ourselves, then we will keep on drowning in a self-made sea of compromise. We nag and nag about how the system is not favorable, unknowingly to us that you and I are what make up the system.

 A popular saying from one of my favorite books asks, when the foundation is destroyed, what shall the righteous do? This particular foundation of trust has been torn and left to shambles, we try to do with what is left behind but then, it is no longer feasible. There is this indescribable pain one feels when the very entity you stand for are the very ones who condemn you.

We start from somewhere right, you started from the very moment you spoke bad about your roommate who is a member of the press. The watchwords you used as your ringtone when he/she steps into the place. Na press o, nor near am. The unjustified treatment of student journalists at the university of Ibadan paints a vivid picture of what the larger picture of the country looks like. No argument why the structure is still messed up cause we ourselves are. 

The practices that are in place here at the University are being replicated up there at the national level, so how can we say the system is bad? Well, it’s alright we say, we have become accustomed to the names we are being tagged as, we have grown a thick skin, you just keep on throwing whatever you want while we keep doing what we want. A tit for tat, you might call it, and yet let me remind you that this is not going anywhere.

You want to visibly change the system, yet you make no effort to change the system right from your own little corner. They say little drops make a mighty ocean but I say an ocean cannot be made by drops except you wish to wait a million years. Still, little steps are necessary as the journey of a thousand miles does begin with a single step.

Maybe start by eradicating that idea that you have had about the press or if not, picture a world where nobody is in place to question inadequacies. There is so much the representative body can do before bringing the game of politics into the mix. And while they are out at it, you can only look. Can we call it human nature or a generational manifestation? It is funny right. Come to think about it, how can we speak of the change we desire, when we fail to appreciate or understand the one we have. But when one speaks, writes the truth and demands order, we pick sides and point fingers at those who have chosen to do good. Why have you made the press your foe? Why are you scared of the press?

If you say those that sit in political offices bear the right to fear, we say that is a corrupted defense because on a scale of good governance, accountability and integrity, what is there to be scared of? What skeletons would be scrutinized?

Checks and balances are after all of great importance in a forward society. I say the press is your friend because it seeks your freedom. Freedom, that’s all we seek. A changed mentality today saves the unborn tomorrow. The ball is in your court.