We have just noticed a piece of
mischief dressed as an article posted in Ibom Forum, written by one Michael
Ukanga Ekpo concerning the Monday April 29th Edition of Weekly Insight
Newspaper.
It is not our style to join issues with
individuals on contents of our paper. We believe that every reader has a right
to form whatever judgment he chooses to on issues that we carry as news or
commentary. We are however appalled by the absurdities contained in Mr. Ekpo's
write up. He has abused every known rule of engagement to carry such malicious
and weird allegations against the paper and the Secretary to the Akwa Ibom
State Government as far as the story on the Uyo Senatorial District PDP
Stakeholders meeting is concerned.
Signed:
We have to point out to Mr. Ekpo and
to those who are paid to think like him that we are a responsible and
responsive media outfit. We believe in the sacredness of the truth, a belief we
have expressed in our robust and courageous reportage of events and issues, a
fact the average reader of our paper would testify to. In our uncompromising
stance, we have been victims of subtle and often open antagonism by the likes
of Ekpo who believe that they should have a final say in every discourse no
matter the false premise the stand on. We have remained untainted by anything
other than what we genuinely believe is right.
As a paper peopled by humans, once
in a while we make genuine human mistakes. We do not hesitate when such human
mistakes occur to apologize to those concerned. We have openly and sincerely apologized
to many individuals, because we realize that we are human. It is also within
the ethics of the journalism practice that when errors occur in the process of
news dissemination, all efforts are made to remedy it. And that was exactly
what happened in the April 29th edition of our paper.
Our Monday paper usually goes to bed
as late as 11 pm on Sunday nights. As a standard practice in newspaper houses,
editors leave out the front page till the last minute hoping for breaking news.
News was to very late in the night filter in that the Stakeholders of PDP in
Uyo Senatorial District had earlier that evening met at the R & R
Restaurant along IBB Avenue. We were not invited to the meeting and as such
were not there. So that contrary to the unkind insinuations of Mr. Ekpo in his
article, if we were the medium he painted us to be, to wit, "bank
rolled" by anyone interested in that meeting, we should have been there,
and not rely on a third party as we did. Unfortunately the source who claimed
to have been in attendance at the meeting that night gave us the version of the
story we carried.
We were to later learn early on
Monday morning that the information we received was not true. As a responsible
medium, we had to stop the printing. Contrary to Mr. Ekpo's perverted write up,
the paper was NOT released to the public, let alone being scooped by any person
from the news stand. That is the stuff falsehood is made of.
As for the fancy details of what
went on in his demented mind between the paper and any individual, the author
was merely on a gaudy display of amateurish creative fiction writing. He did
not read the earlier story we came out with and so failed to even correctly
carry the title and of course fared even worse in trying to repeat the content.
His write up should therefore be disregarded as false and maliciously crafted
to tarnish our image as a credible paper.
We want to make it clear for the
up-tenth time that no politician, and that includes, Mr. Umana Okon Umana, has
anything to do with either the funding or ownership of Insight Newspapers.
Those who have followed us will realize that we have sailed above the waters in
our eight years of fearless and balanced journalism, without such sponsorship
and that is why the Ukanga Ekpos of this world are still wondering how we have
been able to do it.
In the build up to, and throughout
the 2011 election, the same blackmail pervaded the air waves as to the effect
that Senator Udoedehe was the owner and chief funder. The Senator is still
alive and can testify to the truth or falsity of that allegation. Before that,
in 2007, when the state information machineries were turn against the
aspiration of Chief Godswill Akpabio, it was Insight newspaper that came to his
aid. The story then was that Akpabio owned the newspaper. That is the same
thing we are faced with in the build up to the 2015 election. As a paper that
has thrived on excellence, we have not hidden our editorial disdain to zoning
and the apostles of zoning have been unrelenting in painting us black. One fact
will remain true in all our dealings, we will continue to be guided by what we
believe is right; the position held by any other person will continue to remain
irrelevant to us. We cannot all be boxed into one box of belief. We work
according to our own conviction and not that of Michael Ukanga Ekpo and his
paymasters. No politician is rich enough to buy us. We are a crop of high
flying professionals.
To Mr Michael Ukanga Ekpo, just save
your breath. We do not know you. You are a mere internet creation, with no net
worth. You can carry on with your bile campaign of falsehood and shameless
propaganda. It will not make us descend to your level. You have proved that you
know nothing about the workings of the media. Your blog of falsehood (Naijaleaks.com),
can serve your stomach, but don’t think we don’t know your antecedents and your
sponsors. We are not like you. We are an award winning newspaper that just won
three out of the ten awards at stake at the recent NUJ media award for 2012.
The stories adjudged as best in their categories were stories that were even
against the system. Your reliance on local tabloids that have no pedigree and
run by non professionals shows the class you belong. Keep deceiving yourself,
but your pseudo journalism is a unidirectional one that would soon end after
the 2015 elections.
Management
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