Minister of Information and Culture Does Not Have Covid-19

Minister of Information and Culture Does Not Have Covid-19

By Our Correspondent

The attention of the office of the Honourable Minister of Information

and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has been drawn to a report making

the rounds that he has contracted the Covid-19 virus and that he is

now in isolation, where he is receiving treatment.

For the record, the Minister does not have Covid-19, hence he is

neither in isolation nor receiving treatment anywhere.

That report, which was first published by an online newspaper and then

latched on to by some mainstream lapdog media, once again highlights

the uphill task we face in our campaign to stamp out fake news and

misinformation.

A journalism mantra says 'when in doubt, leave it out'. Also embedded

in the code of ethics for journalists are the basic principles of

truthfulness and accuracy, among others. The report in question did

not meet those standards.

The Minister was at the Federal Executive Council meeting on

Wednesday, an extraordinary FEC meeting on Thursday and also witnessed

the swearing-in of the Minister of State for Works and Housing on

Friday. All these events took place at the Villa, where the

correspondents of many media organizations are deployed. In fact, the

Minister coordinated the post-FEC press briefing on Wednesday and

Thursday. Could he have done this from

the imaginary isolation centre where he was consigned by a mischievous reporter?

As a member of the Presidential Steering Committee on Covid-19, the

Minister has the added responsibility of leading by example, hence

would not have hesitated to publicly announce his Covid-19 status if

indeed he has contracted the virus. After all, he is not only fully

vaccinated, he has also taken the booster shot, a situation that

offers him different layers of protection even if he contracts the

virus. For those who contract the virus, they deserve our empathy and

prayers, not stigmatization.

The media does itself a great disservice by making 'exclusive news'

out of beer parlor gist. Sooner or later, the truth will come out and

a fake-news-peddling-organization will have its credibility dented for

good.

In the best tradition of journalism, we expect the online newspaper

behind this fake news not only to retract the publication but also to

apologize to the Minister for causing him such embarrassment,

especially in a season of joy.