Media proprietors in Nigeria at the weekend pleaded with President Bola Tinubu to help safeguard the jobs of journalists and other professionals in the industry from big tech companies that use editorial content sourced from Nigerian media outlets without compensation.
President of the Nigeria Press Council, Frank Aigbogun made the plea, while speaking on behalf of the Nigeria media industry, at the State House, Abuja, at a breakfast meeting hosted by Tinubu, for the leadership of the Nigerian media, comprising members of the Nigeria Press Organisation, Newspaper Proprietors Association of Nigeria, Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria, Nigeria Guild of Editors, and Nigeria Union of Journalists, among others.
Aigbogun categorically called on the Federal Government to intervene to protect the jobs of journalists in Nigeria and the industry as a whole from big tech companies that use editorial content sourced from Nigerian media without compensation.
According to him, “AI firms are able to generate summaries of content from our websites, meaning the work produced by journalists ends up bringing little value back to the organisations that created it.”
While commending the President for maintaining his longstanding cordial relationship with the media, he further urged Tinubu to ease the tariffs on newsprint and broadcast equipment import.
“We appeal for your gracious intervention to ensure exemptions for tariffs on newsprint, ink and other materials essential to our operations,” he said.
In his response, the President promised to act on the requests, reiterating that his administration took the bold decision to reform the economy in 2023, to save Nigeria from total collapse.
Speaking further on the challenges faced by the media industry, Tinubu promised to address issues of tariffs on newspaper and broadcasting materials to empower the media industry to discharge its constitutional role effectively.
He also commended the media owners, editors and journalists for their commitment to informing, educating and keeping citizens abreast of developments, as well as providing employment and livelihoods for thousands of Nigerians.
The President stated that as a responsible leader, he needed to take appropriate decisions at the right time, adding that anything to the contrary amounted to failure.
“Leadership must, as a matter of responsibility, make decisions at the best time. Yes, I accepted my predecessor’s assets and liabilities because I applied for the job and was given the job. So, I have to do it. But if anybody tells you it’s easy, it’s a lie,” he said.
The President maintained that his administration had to take the hard but critical decisions to save the nation from bankruptcy. He commended the media practitioners for their criticisms which he said challenged and inspired him at those critical moments.
