From YVONNE ISHOLA, Jalingo
Professor Umar Pate, Vice Chancellor of the Federal University, Kashere, Gombe State, has warned that no news report is worth the life of a journalist.
He made the remark while delivering the keynote address at the National Media Summit for the North East: Spotlight on Taraba State, held recently in Jalingo.
The two-day summit, themed, ‘Rebuilding Trust: Media Integrity in the Age of Misinformation’, was organised by the North East NUJ in collaboration with Governor Agbu Kefas of Taraba State and drew journalists from across the country.
Discussing the increasing hazards associated with media work, Prof Pate highlighted the numerous safety challenges journalists faced before, during and after covering stories.
He described psychological safety as a major concern, noting that the stress and anxieties associated with news coverage could be mentally draining.
He urged journalists to ensure they are physically fit before embarking on assignments, stressing the need to ask critical questions such as, “What happens when you die on duty?” and whether their organisations provide safety protocols or compensation.
According to him, journalists must demand strong institutional safety nets, adequate insurance cover and essential protective gadgets to counter emerging threats.
Prof Pate also emphasised gender-based safety challenges, particularly the “double jeopardy” faced by female journalists who struggled with inadequate office facilities, including lack of private conveniences for personal needs during fieldwork.
He further identified digital harassment as a growing form of abuse, where journalists—especially women—face insults and threats online without organisational support.
Another pressing issue, he noted, was legal harassment, where journalists are intimidated with threats of lawsuits, discouraging investigative reporting because media houses often fear legal battles.
He advised journalists to build strong relationships with Civil Society Organisations, describing them as reliable allies in the fight for press freedom.
Prof Pate lamented the widespread economic insecurity facing journalists, criticising the poor remuneration that forces many into hardship despite the demanding nature of their work.
He insisted that journalists should not “be miserably poor because of the type of work they do,” noting that the profession requires intelligence, resilience and high-pressure performance.
The keynote speaker urged media organisations to invest in digital tools, quality equipment and staff training to remain competitive in a rapidly changing media landscape.
He warned that if traditional media failed to upscale, untrained “quacks” armed with smartphones would continue to undermine professionalism with sensational content that attracted advertisers.
He stressed that only well-trained journalists equipped with modern tools could produce the quality content needed to earn and retain public trust.
Earlier, NUJ National President, Comrade Alhassan Yahaya, and Taraba State NUJ Chairman, Comrade Matthew Eliud Jen, charged journalists to uphold credibility and integrity in their reportage.