Media Trust chairman advocates fairness, independent journalism

The Chairman of Media Trust Group, Malam Kabiru Yusuf, described journalism as “history in a hurry,” noting that journalists must strive to report accurately and fairly despite the pressures and complexities of the profession.

He also called on journalists to acknowledge their mistakes, apologise when necessary and give people the opportunity to respond to allegations before publication.

Yusuf said although the media had a responsibility to investigate issues of public interest and hold people accountable, journalists must recognise that they could misunderstand individuals and situations in the course of their work.

He reflected on Media Trust’s nearly three-decade history and the challenges of being misunderstood for its editorial decisions.

“When we get things wrong, we are obliged to apologise,” Yusuf said, explaining that the company maintained a right-of-reply column because journalists, like other professionals, were capable of making mistakes.

“In this business, nobody is always right, and nobody is always wrong. When we make mistakes, we must acknowledge them and apologise where necessary,” he added.

Yusuf said journalists must balance their duty to ask difficult questions with the responsibility to seek responses from people whose conduct or activities are being investigated.

He cited the experience of Media Trust Group’s reporting on Abubakar Bichi, whom he said had attracted public attention through birthday celebrations and activities in his hometown in Kano State.

According to Yusuf, the media platform began asking questions about the sources of funds for the activities but later realised that its assumptions might not have fully captured Bichi’s circumstances.

He said the organisation attempted to interview Bichi, who declined, before he subsequently met privately with a senior official of the media group and explained that he had been a successful businessman before assuming his current position.

Yusuf said the encounter reinforced the importance of giving people an opportunity to explain themselves, particularly when journalists were investigating matters involving their finances or public conduct.

“I wish he had spoken to us earlier, because his explanation might have helped us correct some of the impressions created by our reporting,” he said.

He, however, maintained that journalists must continue to investigate issues of public interest and ask questions about the activities of public figures, stressing that the obligation to hold people accountable should go hand in hand with fairness and a willingness to correct errors.

Reflecting on the history of Daily Trust, Yusuf said the newspaper was established in Kaduna in 1998 by journalists with support from friends, starting with limited capital and a commitment to serving readers and advertisers.

He said the organisation’s first edition, published in March 1998, carried the headline, “If Abacha Runs…” at a time when the late military Head of State, General Sani Abacha, was seeking to transform himself into a civilian president.

Yusuf said the publication of the story reflected the newspaper’s belief that journalists should address issues of public concern, although some people misunderstood its coverage as evidence of a personal or political dispute with Abacha.

He said similar suspicions followed the newspaper’s decision to print at Heritage Press, which was widely associated with former military Head of State, General Ibrahim Babangida, and its consultancy arrangement with the Petroleum Trust Fund, associated with former President Muhammadu Buhari.

According to him, the arrangements were commercial and professional, but some observers interpreted them as evidence of political sponsorship.

Yusuf also recalled a court case instituted against the newspaper by former President Olusegun Obasanjo in Ibadan over a contributor’s column. He said the case was eventually resolved in the newspaper’s favour.

He said such experiences illustrated the difficulties media organisations faced when their reporting was interpreted as evidence of personal hostility or political alignment.

The Media Trust chairman said the organisation had grown from a weekly newspaper into a media group operating print, broadcast and digital platforms, adding that its founding principle remained the need to serve ordinary people.

Yusuf urged journalists to remain committed to public-interest reporting while recognising the limitations of their work and their obligation to correct misleading impressions when they arise.