A staff of Daily Post, Yemi Itodo, on Wednesday emerged Chairman of the National Assembly New Media Forum.
Inaugurating the Forum and the executives at the White House, National Assembly, Clerk to the National Assembly, Chief Mohammed Ataba Omolori, charged members to adhere to ethics of the media profession.
He said the inauguration followed the consideration that the New Media will be an avenue to engage each other and a driver for new phase of Journalism.
Represented by the Deputy Director of Publication, Mr. John Gyara, Omolori lamented that the social media has become an avenue for scandal, adding that the forum should teach others true professionalism.
“Check your sources and balance your reportage. Don’t fail your integrity, don’t destroy your profession”, Omolori advised.
While congratulating the forum for a successful Inauguration, Omolori urged the Forum to maintain discipline and ensure that only credible medium, accredited by the Nigeria Union of Journalists are brought into the fold.
Earlier, chairman of the Forum, Yemi Itodo in a welcome address, recalled that “at its inception, the leadership of the 8th Assembly in its wisdom, created an office for, and appointed Special Assistants on New Media to the Senate President and Honourable Speaker, in addition to existing offices such as Special Adviser on Media and Chief Press Secretary; for effective dissemination of information to the global world through the internet as well as liaising between the online media and their principals”.
According to Itodo, “the creation has greatly been of immense benefit to the 8th Assembly and was a great contributor to the success of this Parliament, in the face of increasingly digital and new media evolvement.
“This trailblazing precedence, will also inform the leadership of the 9th Assembly on constitution of digital media handlers that would help set narratives for the Parliament in the next four years”.
He maintained that the essence of having a forum such as this, is for easy coordination of Online Journalists within the National Assembly; assuring that it will assist the management in regulating the influx and activities of Online Journalists around the complex, with the view to checking quackery and fake Journalists.
On his part, a deputy Director and Clerk of Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Mr. Mustapha Oluwuyi, believed the Inauguration of the New Media Forum would assist the management in curbing the menace of fake Journalist around the National Assembly.
The following officials were inaugurated as executives of the New Media Forum: Yemi Itodo (Daily Post) as Chairman; Lizzy Atime-Chirkpi (Order Paper) as Vice Chairman and Haruna Salami (Sharp Edge News) as Secretary.
Others are Goodness Adaoyiche (Pulse. ng) as Treasurer; Clement Nwabuiko (Sundiata Post) as Auditor; George Okpara (Daily Post) as Welfare Officer; while Nasir Ayitogo (Premium Times) and Joyce Ogunbiyi (NASNEWS) were inaugurated in absentia.