BY BANYO TEMITAYO
THE Federal Government said on Friday that international television channel, CNN, had been desperate to justify “its inaccurate and unbalanced investigation”, since it (FG) sent a letter to the organisation, protesting its report on the #EndSARS Lekki shooting.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, specifically said the use of unverified videos and the non-adherence to the basic tenets of journalism had combined to land CNN in trouble.
He spoke in Abuja during a meeting with members of the Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria.
“The use of unverified videos and the non-adherence to the basic tenets of journalism have combined to land an international broadcaster, CNN, in trouble. This station has been caught in the web of fake news and disinformation, after it relied heavily on videos it took from social media for a supposed exclusive investigation on the incident at the Lekki Toll Gate on October 20,” Mohammed said.
Noting that the station was found to be inconsistent, he said, “Ater tweeting, without a shred of evidence, from its verified handle on October 23, that soldiers killed 38 peaceful protesters at the Lekki Toll Gate on October 20, the same station now said only one person was killed, after a month of its investigation. What an embarrassment.
“It is baffling that an organisation like CNN will rely on unauthenticated videos to carry out an investigation. More worrisome is that an international broadcaster like CNN will switch casualty figures so casually without a credible source.
“This is why we have written a letter to CNN asking it to use its own internal mechanism to probe its investigation. We have received an acknowledgement of our letter, saying the letter has been referred to CNN’s Editorial Team.”
The Minister pointed out that CNN did not have a reporter or cameraman at the Lekki Toll Gate on the night in question, claiming that it nevertheless went ahead to report a “hoax story.”
He said, “Conversely, the BBC that had a reporter and an editor on ground reported that soldiers shot into the air, not at protesters. I will rather believe the person on the ground than the one who is thousands of kilometres away… This is very unambiguous and CNN is exhibiting panic by seeking to clarify its tweet some 35 days later!
“Instead of engaging in such panic, CNN should come clean by admitting that it goofed badly on the Lekki Toll Gate incident.”
