* Says report distorts facts and risks worsening national religious tension
The Companion, an association of Muslim men in business and the professions, has joined other people of conscience to strongly condemn Channels Television over what it described as unprofessional and insensitive reportage of the Christmas eve bombing of a mosque in Maiduguri, Borno State.
In a statement jointly signed by its National Amir, Imam Nojeem Jimoh and National Publicity Secretary, Professor Tunde Akanni, the group warned that the coverage has aggravated religious tension and distorted public understanding of Nigeria’s security crisis.
Muslim News previously reported how the popular TV channel framed its headline as “Many feared dead as bomb blast rocks Maiduguri,” omitting the crucial detail that the attack targeted a mosque. Later, Channels TV updated the headline to highlight “Christmas eve,” seemingly downplaying the true nature and context of the terrorist attack.
While reacting on Tuesday, The Companion expressed shock over the station’s handling of the incident, which claimed the lives of several Muslim worshippers.
The group said the report failed to accurately reflect the scale and gravity of the attack on a place of worship, thereby undermining the seriousness of the tragedy.
According to the group, reporting such a sensitive incident demanded “the highest level of accuracy and professionalism,” particularly given the religious significance of the timing.
It argued that by glossing over critical details of the mosque bombing, Channels Television contributed to a “lopsided public perception” of insecurity and religious violence in the country.
READ THE FULL STATEMENT BELOW:
The Companion muslim group wishes to express its shock and unreserved condemnation regarding the unprofessional and insensitive reportage by Channels Television of the tragic bombing of a mosque and the loss of numerous Muslim lives in Maiduguri on Christmas Eve.
The reporting of such a sensitive event requires the highest level of accuracy, yet the narrative presented by Channels Television failed to capture the true essence and scale of the carnage at the house of worship.
By glossing over the specifics of the Maiduguri mosque bombing, the station has worsened a lopsided public perception of the security situation. This is more than a mere editorial slip.
It is a fundamental failure to provide a thorough account of events, especially when those events involve the loss of lives during a period of heightened religious and emotional sensitivity.
This approach runs directly contrary to the principles of Conflict Sensitive Journalism, as championed by UNESCO. Professionalism dictates that in a volatile environment, journalists must report in a way that must consciously be supportive of de-escalating tensions.
It becomes viciously self-serving when a broadcaster like Channels fails to accurately report the bombing of a mosque and the killing of worshippers. It creates a vacuum of information that can be filled by misinformation, further polarizing the society.
The Companion views this recklessness by Channels as an exacerbation of an already tense national atmosphere which Channels itself may not survive if it chooses to sustain this devious brand of reporting.
To ignore or under-report the targeted killing of Muslims in Maiduguri on the eve of Christmas is to fail the test of inclusivity and social responsibility. It suggests a hierarchy of victimhood that has no place in a professional newsroom or a democratic society.
We call on the management of Channels Television to immediately offer a sincere apology to Nigerian Muslims for the lack of precision, and utter disregard for professionalism and even the Christian ethos they seem to be obsessed with.
We therefore urge the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) as well as the renowned Society for Peace Studies and Practice, SPSP, to support Channels TV with sessions on Conflict Sensitive Journalism, hoping they are open to redemption. Nigeria cannot afford a media establishment like Channels that appears to have abandoned peace for self-defined biases constituting a huge disgrace to Nigerian journalism.
* Imam Nojimdeen Jimoh (National Amir)
* Professor Tunde Akanni (National Publicity Secretary)
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