‘Don’t forget ethics of journalism’, AFN board member urges journalists

A member of the board of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria, AFN, Dare Esan has urged journalists to always verify their facts before rushing to the press.

Dare, a one time member of World Athletics Media Study Group was reacting to a story in a national newspaper where an unnamed board member was quoted as blasting the federation’s first Vice President, Tafida Gadzama for denying knowledge of the 10 year ban slammed on Kwara State Athletics coach, Hammid Muritala.

In the story, the unnamed board member claimed he and other board members were notified when the National Anti-Goping Commission suspended the coach last year.

‘I have always been against journalists who don’t cross check whatever information they get before rushing to the press. This is against the ethics of journalism. I am a board member and I can say authoritatively that nothing of such happened,’ Esan told our correspondent in an interview.

Continuing, Esan said the journalist who wrote the syndicated story should have asked for proof from the unnamed board member before writing about what he knows nothing about

He says the AFN has no business notifying individual members on anti-doping rules violation.

‘There should be an information portal where the decision made by NADO can be posted for board members to see and we have a Whatssapp platform that should have taken care of this,’ added Esan who implored the writer of the story to learn more about athletics reporting.

‘What the reporter has done is to expose his ignorance of how information is disseminated in track and field and also exposed himself as fabricating the story because the unnamed board member quoted could not have told him he got a mail from the AFN Secretariat notifying him of the suspension of coach Muritala.’

Esan also urged that journalists should asked probing questions and get a copy of the AFN constitution instead of writing unverified and/or concoted stories.

‘I laughed when the writer said Gadzama is ‘only interested in sponsorship money that comes into the AFN’. This is ridicuolous because AFN is still without a sponsor as at today and I am wondering which ‘sponsorship money’ my dear friend, the writer of the story is talking about?

‘When I first read the story, I thought it was written by one of these social media journalists but was pleasantly surprised a reputable media organisation would allow such an unprofessional job’.

‘I read the story where Gadzama said he reliably learnt the coach was at the last National Sports Festival in Asaba in December last year. I thought the language was clear enough but was shocked when the writer wrote: ‘Gadzama claimed that he saw the suspended coach at the last National Sports Festival in Asaba.’

‘I think there is a problem of comprehension here and it is unfortunate.’