ARISE To Onanuga: Journalists Shouldn’t Be Harassed But Allowed To Do Their Jobs

Arise TV cameraman clandestinely streamed live Asíwájú Bola Tinubu’s event in Lagos today. He was not authorized by anyone. He was clearly on espionage, but was busted and sent out. Is journalism by stealth part of the practice by Arise News?

@OfficialAPCNg, @officialABAT @atiku @NUJofficial @NGEditors @PeterObi @ARISEtv

My name is Yemi Ajayi, Director of News of Arise News and I sent out a crew to cover the event, in line with our policy of covering the engagements of the leading presidential candidates in the general election.

We did the same thing when the PDP candidate, Atiku interacted with business leaders at an LCCI event in Lagos in Sept. 2022. Ditto for LP’s Peter Obi at the same LCCI event in Lagos the same period.

We also did the same LIVE coverage of Tinubu @ Chatham House, London and we were never harassed. This is part of our responsibility of helping our viewers to making an informed choice in the election. The team was led by one of Africa’s leading journalists, Boason Omofaye, who has be accredited to NESG for decades.

All our cameras have capacity for live transmission in line with best global journalistic practice and in furtherance of this, it’s our policy to live stream, dip in and out of important events as we deem necessary.

Journalists should not be harassed for doing their job.

@Yemi Ajayi

Bayo Onanuga: For clarity, the Tinubu-Shettima campaign is not against Arise TV covering its events. The Lagos NESG dialogue was not meant for TV live coverage. It was to be recorded and shown later. Other TV houses did not breach the rule, except Arise News. And it was done by stealth. Why?

As I explained to you in our telephone conversation when you called me earlier today on the issue, there was nothing stealthily about ARISE NEWS coverage and live streaming of the @officialABAT event at the NESG, Ikoyi, Lagos yesterday that’s our standard practice in line with best global journalistic standard.

The fact that no other television stations streamed live the event isn’t tantamount to Arise News practising journalistic espionage as you’re trying to frame it.

As a veteran in journalism, you’re aware that every media organisation has the freedom to determine its editorial policy, and this @ARISEtv has done. We came to the venue of the event in our branded official vehicle and our cameraman was wearing a branded jacket, officials of the NESG saw the @ARISEtv crew when they were setting up and no expressed objection was raised about our presence. Neither was there any expressed instruction that we shouldn’t live stream the event.

So, at what point did @ARISEtv breach any regulations of the event? Last year, when Asiwaju had his 70th birthday colloquium in Lagos, we live streamed the speech of @officialABAT.

We were neither rebuked nor accused of stealthily live streaming the speech of @officialABAT . @ARISEtv is only doing its job and should be left to do so without any harassment or vilification.

@Yemi Ajayi

Yemi Ajayi is Director of news @AriseNews.