ABUJA – President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has called on Nigerian journalists and media organisations to prioritise factual, responsible, and ethical journalism over sensationalism and the pursuit of online traffic, saying democracy depends not only on a free press but also on a responsible one.
Speaking on Thursday at the maiden State House Media Corps Presidential Dinner held at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, the President reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to press freedom while urging media practitioners to uphold the highest standards of professionalism in the face of growing misinformation and disinformation.
“I am an apostle of a free press,” Tinubu said, noting that he had consistently defended media freedom throughout his public life and would continue to do so. He, however, stressed that freedom of expression must be exercised responsibly.
“While press freedom and free speech remain the bedrock of an open and democratic society, journalists and citizens must also not forget the imperative of balancing rights with responsibility and the duty to report with care and accuracy,” he said.
The President expressed concern over the increasing spread of fake news, deepfakes, voice and facial cloning, and other forms of digital misinformation, warning that professional journalists must not become “willing couriers of falsehood or unverified information” capable of undermining national security.
He urged the media to “choose fact over falsehood, substance over sensation, and credibility over clickbait,” adding that the responsibility of professional journalism has become even more important in an era where virtually anyone with a smartphone can publish information online.
“The public depends on journalists not merely to report events but to separate fact from fiction, truth from speculation, and evidence from opinion,” Tinubu said.
While reaffirming his administration’s commitment to constitutional guarantees of freedom of expression and press freedom under Sections 22 and 39 of the 1999 Constitution, the President emphasised that such freedoms do not extend to defamation or deliberate misinformation.
“Freedom of expression is not freedom to defame. Freedom of the press is not freedom to deliberately mislead,” he said.
Tinubu also defended existing laws, including the Cybercrimes Act, saying they were designed to protect citizens from malicious falsehoods, cyberstalking, identity theft, and other digital abuses rather than suppress legitimate journalism.
Reflecting on his decades in public life, the President said he had experienced intense media scrutiny and observed how rumours and allegations could quickly evolve into accepted narratives without adequate verification.
He noted that despite political speculation during the election period, Nigerians ultimately distinguished between facts and misinformation.
On his administration’s performance, Tinubu said ongoing economic reforms were beginning to deliver positive results, citing improvements in public revenue, foreign reserves, investor confidence, the stock market, and investment in the oil and gas sector.
He also highlighted progress in tackling insecurity, saying military operations had intensified across several regions, intelligence gathering had improved, and cooperation among security agencies had strengthened, leading to the rescue of hostages, the neutralisation of criminal elements, and the recovery of communities previously threatened by insecurity.
The President described the media as an indispensable pillar of democracy and a critical partner in national development, urging journalists and government to maintain a relationship built on mutual respect, accountability, and professionalism.
“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,” Tinubu said.
He thanked members of the State House Media Corps for their dedication to informing Nigerians and expressed hope that the presidential media dinner would become an enduring tradition for strengthening relations between government and the press.
