Okonjo-Iwealas false claim on video: PREMIUM TIMES responds
\nOur attention has been drawn to a statement by the Finance Minister, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, through her spokesperson, Paul Nwabuikwu, accusing us of uploading a doctored video of what transpired during her appearance before the House of Representatives Committee on Finance.
\nIn the statement, the minister used an earlier published two-minute video by Channels Television as a yardstick of what the ideal reporting should be concerning that controversial session, describing the Channels publication as the authentic video account of the encounter.
\nWe find it unfortunate that Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala would seek to create an impression that her session with the lawmakers lasted about two minutes only.
\nIt is even shocking that the minister and her aides do not understand that two media organizations will not necessarily see the same issue or event the same way?
\nIn any case,why is one reporting of the session okay by the minister because it suits her agenda and the other is doctored because it doesn’t?
\nFor the avoidance of doubt, we stand 100 per cent by our published video.
\nWe challenge Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala to mention any scene, any at all, in our video that did not happen or was doctored.
\nOur video was not to question or dismiss what Channels Television published. In fact, we agree completely that Channels reserve the right to determine how to report an event based on the best judgment of its reporters and editors. We had also referenced the Channels clip in our earlier stories of the incident.
\nUnlike Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala, however, we believe the footage published by the station was definitely just a part of what transpired at the session.
\nIt was in order to ensure that Nigerians get a fuller picture of what transpired that PREMIUM TIMES sourced the full video.
\nOur aim was not to repeat what Channels had published (all what Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala accused us of omitting were contained in the Channels clip), but to show that a lot more happened than was shown in the Channels video.
\nPerhaps Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala would love to explain to Nigerians why she preferred limiting all her encounter with the lawmakers on that day to just a two-minute video, when ours, over four-minute long, is clearly more comprehensive, showing what transpired before the episode shown by Channels.
\nJust like Channels Television and other responsible media houses, we are at liberty, using our best editorial judgment, to ensure that true and complete information on actions of public officials are brought to our readers.
\nWe therefore assure all our readers and viewers that we would continue to abide by basic journalism principles and continue to reveal that which public officials want to keep hidden.
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Okonjo-Iwealas false claim on video: PREMIUM TIMES responds Our attention has been drawn to a statement by the Finance Minister, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, through her spokesperson, Paul Nwabuikwu, accusing us of…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":21460,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21459","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pointblanknews-investigations"],"yoast_head":"\n