By Saheed Fuhad
There is a question Nigeria’s journalism profession must confront honestly: When those entrusted with public power refuse to answer difficult questions, should journalists remain polite spectators, or should they become more persistent, more probing and, where necessary, adversarial? In a healthy democracy, journalism is not supposed to be a public-relations department for government. It is not the job of a journalist to make powerful people comfortable.
The journalist’s obligation is to the public. This distinction has become increasingly important in Nigeria, where corruption, abuse of public resources, poor governance, political patronage and official evasiveness remain recurring features of public life.
This is where adversarial journalism becomes important. Adversarial journalism is a style of journalism in which reporters actively challenge people in positions of power, interrogate their claims, test their evidence, expose contradictions and refuse to accept official explanations without scrutiny. It is sometimes mistaken for rudeness, aggression or hostility. By definition, it is none of these things. At its best, adversarial journalism is journalism that understands that power must be questioned. Journalism is not supposed to be comfortable. The traditional image of the journalist as a neutral observer can sometimes be misleading. A journalist covering a powerful politician who says, for example, that billions of naira have been spent on a project should not merely report the politician’s statement. The journalist should ask: Where is the evidence? How much was appropriated? How much was released? What was actually constructed? Who received the contracts? What does the Auditor-General say? What do the communities affected by the project say?
