The second semester in the university calendar prides itself as the final lap of the academic session and is one known amongst students to be well-studded with a wide range of events and various activities. Adding more stake to this repute is that the latter part of the second semester marks the point where most students’ administration see that tenures come to an end. It thus marks the climax of the ever-brewing story of political ambitions even as the level of session-long politicking comes to its zenith.
Alongside the various events that form part of the political atmosphere in the second semester, one which is of note particularly to the press, as it has now become a perpetual ritual just before the elections and thrusts the press right into the heart of the politics, is the various press nights organized by local press organizations. Ideally, the press nights lend the press the opportunity to on behalf of the collective good of the governed, put the persons vying for political offices under the scrutiny of the ‘microscope’ of the pen. But over the years, several things have been observed about press nights that are out of place, and which this editorial seeks to speak the forceful truth to correct.
To Candidates
Over the years, it is not unusual to discover that press night has become just another political ritual for the candidates. Many don’t see the need for it but then they just want to be there, to fulfil righteousness. Against the backdrop of this also are those who furthermore not only see press nights as a needless thing but resent it, reducing it to a political witch-hunt in their minds and spreading this sentiment amongst those sympathetic to their cause, but all this could not be any further from the truth.
Firstly, we need to understand that at its very heart, pressmen, so to speak, care not about the persons standing before them but then its main contention is that political ideas, promises, and motives seeking to enthrone itself in the seat of power. This is only done for the good of society in light of the saying that prevention is better than cure. The best way to stop political mistakes from entering office is by preventing political power from coming to them in the first place. So while we don’t deny that friction may come up in the press night, but then what is being said is that it is not about a personal contention with the person involved but about a clash with whatever politics the person with the ambition embodies, whether it be his promises, his past incompetency and capabilities, his character and ideologies, all things which makes the difference between one who would goof when the corruption of power whispers at his soul or one who would necessarily raise above the occasion.
Furthermore, press nights are good for the candidates themselves if they can see it. It is not an uncommon experience of candidates coming to press nights with their blueprints of castles built in the clouds only to be shown clearly, by well-meaning pressmen, how those plans won’t hold water as when they get into office, they would either be faced with the difficulty of getting the stones high up into the sky or have them crashing down through the white bags of water vapour. This is important because it saves our student community the stress of being put through an endless cycle of clueless or well-meaning persons putting up promises thatwould never be fulfilled. We have lived through press nightsof persons promising to use their money to buy pumping machines for their hall or even sell up big banner advert space to generate revenue, which to them felt like well-meaning promises but would never hold up in light of current rules within the university guiding this. Only after this press night, did these candidates know this and they were better off for it.
So, the key takeaway from this for candidates is that you must not go to press as a mere ritual, you are not been scored on punctuality, composure, knowledge of office, the feasibility of promises, and all the like, just because the guys in the press just want to find an excuse to sessionally reenact the Salem trials and pile on helpless candidates. You must realize that these things are done for the good of all. Just the way we would assume, you have the best interest of the electorate at heart, so too does the press have the best interest of the electorate at heart and the press night is her effort to make sure that one of the single most important political choice we would make as a community -the choice of our leaders- is well guided.
To the pressmen
Having spent a huge of this editorial talking to the candidates, it also behoves on us to speak to the pressmen who would be finding themselves in these press nights in front of the podium and asking the hard questions. A popular maxim asks, quid custodiet ipsos custodes? Who guards the guardians[themselves]? Who directs the custodians? As the guardians of truth and all of that she stands for, who or what should guide us, rather than truth and the very pursuit of it?This is why we know as pressmen; we are admonished to be as objective as possible and lay aside all biases that would like beams block our eyes from that which is true.
We have talked about how press nights are not witch-hunts and it is necessary that press men should not reduce it to that. It has come to note that on certain press nights, certain pressmen carry their personal fights or resents against candidates and turn the press night into a terror show where they would show them who is boss. While we acknowledge that this is a rare happening, it is important that it is whollyput out.
Additionally, on the other hand, press nights are not a platform for propaganda as it has also been noted that certain pressmen, in seeking to help their friend’s political ambition, set out to ask mischievous questions to an opponent and then present pre-arranged campaign questions to their favouredcandidate in other to influence the perspectives in the room to the favour of their candidate. As much as we also acknowledge that this is not a widespread happening, it still is important that we also eradicate totally things like this.
In order to curtail all this, all LPOs are encouraged to properly train and educate all their members on what entails proper journalistic conduct in whatever press night they find themselves. LPOs can also extend aforehand, guides to invited pressmen, so they know what is expected of them. Audience asking questions in press night as is known, is not well advised, and additionally things like audience clapping and the like should be left out for the manifesto night. In the event of heated degradation of the situation, the moderator must step in to maintain order and if the audience becomes a factor in the rancour, if it becomes necessary, they should be excused from the meeting as press nights are largely an internal affair of the press.
In conclusion, while we have spoken to the press night question as it regards candidates and press members, press members are additionally reminded that in this midst of the politics happening around we must not be carried away. The UCJ still stands strongly against practices such as pressmen campaigning for candidates as much as sharing their flyers for them, writing propaganda pieces for them, and all the like. Moreso, pressmen must know that it is not acceptable practice to prepare their friends with questions before the press night. LPOs must remember that the endorsement of a candidate by our constituency is not a business involving the press and as the LPO does not serve as the publicity arm of that constituency, we must desist from using our influence to whether overtly or covertly trying to sell the candidacy of any person for whatever reason. The UCJ retains are right to take action against any of its members who are in violation of the basic acceptable standard that should constitute what is campus journalism.
