By Joseph Albert (Umunna TV)
For broadcasting documentaries said to have “glorified the activities of bandits and undermines national security in Nigeria”, the National Broadcasting Commission, NBC, on Wednesday imposed a five million naira fine on Multichoice Nigeria Limited, owners of DSTV and Trust TV.
NTA-Startimes Limited and TelcCom Satellite Limited (TSTV) were also fined five million naira each.
In a statement signed by NBC Director-General, Balarabe Shehu Ilelah, the commission said while appreciating the need to educate, inform and enlighten the public on issues bordering on developments and happenings within and outside the country, there is need to advise broadcasters to be circumspect and deliberate in the choice and carriage of contents deleterious to Nigeria’s National security.
NBC said the affected media organisations, by the airing and carriage of these documentaries, contravened the provisions of the Nigeria Broadcasting Code, Sixth edition, especially, the underlisted Sections:
3.1.1: “No broadcast shall encourage or incite to crime. lead to public disorder or hate, be repugnant to public feelings or contain offensive reference to any person or organization, alive or dead or generally be disrespectful to human dignity”;
3.12.2: “The broadcaster shall not transmit a programme that incites or likely to incite to violence among the populace, causing mass panic, political and social upheaval, security breach and general social disorder; and
3.11.2: “The Broadcaster shall ensure that law enforcement is upheld at all times in a manner depicting that law and order are socially superior to, or more desirable than crime or anarchy.”
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