{"id":1615,"date":"2026-07-15T13:54:53","date_gmt":"2026-07-15T12:54:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/?p=1615"},"modified":"2026-07-15T13:54:54","modified_gmt":"2026-07-15T12:54:54","slug":"tinubu-urges-journalists-to-choose-truth-over-sensationalism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/?p=1615","title":{"rendered":"Tinubu Urges Journalists To Choose Truth Over Sensationalism"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>By Emoghene Deborah, Mass Communication Student<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>ABUJA, July 2, 2026<\/strong> \u2014 President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has urged Nigerian journalists to uphold truth, professionalism, and responsible reporting as essential pillars of democracy. He made the call during the maiden State House Press Corps Dinner held at the State House in Abuja.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The President described the media as a vital institution that informs citizens, shapes public discourse, promotes civic participation, and supports national development. He urged journalists to shun sensationalism and instead embrace factual, balanced, and ethical reporting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;Let us replace needless hostility with constructive engagement. Let us replace sensationalism with professionalism. Let us replace the pursuit of outrage with the pursuit of truth,&#8221; Tinubu said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He also commended members of the State House Press Corps for their service and dedication to the nation, noting that a professional media and a responsible government should work together in the public interest while respecting press freedom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The event, the first of its kind, was organised to honour journalists accredited to cover the Presidency and to strengthen cooperation between the government and the media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Some members of the public who reacted to the President&#8217;s remarks expressed support for his call for ethical journalism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A 100-level Science Laboratory Technology student said many media organisations place too much emphasis on sensational headlines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;Yes, I think media organisations focus too much on sensational headlines,&#8221; the student said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Another university student, Shittu I., stressed the importance of accuracy in journalism, saying:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;They must always aim to get the truth, no matter what.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Similarly, Divine E., a 100-level Nursing student, said truthful reporting is essential because:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;It is important for people to know the truth.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ademi A., also a university student, warned that sensational reporting could mislead the public.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;It creates confusion among people in society, leading them to believe half-truths rather than the complete facts,&#8221; the student said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The reactions reflect public support for the President&#8217;s appeal for journalists to prioritise truth, accuracy, and professionalism in their reporting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Emoghene Deborah, Mass Communication Student ABUJA, July 2, 2026 \u2014 President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has urged Nigerian journalists to uphold truth, professionalism, and responsible reporting as essential pillars of democracy. He made the call during the maiden State House Press Corps Dinner held at the State House in Abuja. The President described the media [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1616,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"iawp_total_views":14,"footnotes":""},"categories":[52,14],"tags":[25,435,436,20,439],"class_list":["post-1615","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics","category-trendingnews","tag-delsu","tag-journalists","tag-media-houses","tag-tinubu","tag-truth-and-facts"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1615","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1615"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1615\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1617,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1615\/revisions\/1617"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1616"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1615"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1615"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1615"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}