JAY FM RIDICULES HON. DAN MANJANG COMMISSIONER FOR INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION

An opinion piece on Hon. Danjangs outing to Jay FM.

By Dachung Musa

There has been so much talk and hullabaloo especially on the social media space about the interview on Jay FM's morning show Let's Talk. 

The Commissioner for Information and Communication, Hon. Dan Manjang was invited to discuss government's programmes.

The commissioner confirmed attendance to the show but to his utter consternation, when he arrived the station, and was cut unaware that he'll be on the show with a co-guest although the Station Manager had a chat with him (Commissioner) and it said that the commissioner said he was open to any question(s) the presenter would ask him.

The presenter who needs more education in broadcast journalism joined an attention seeker and News maker in a bid to rubbish the commissioner. Any way, that's not the case here. The presenter showed how inexperienced she is and how the management of the station that doesn't see any good the government is doing doesn't pay attention to who they allow to use their mics. The presenter should have excused the attention seeker before the start of the show because his contention is that the governor who is Goemai should focus on working in the interest of Goemai people while forgetting that the governor is governor of Plateau State not just an ethnic group and bigot.

This just shows clearly that Jay FM played the script of the attention seeker rather than allowing and probing the Commissioner for Information on government's programmes and projects.

The presenter who needs more education in broadcasting should respect her guest(s) and allow them speak instead she interjects while they are talking; that doesn't show basic human courtesy or the noble profession of broadcasting. The loquacious presenter who one may conclude that she has been gratified by the attention seeker was always interrupting the Commissioner for Information; she should not have invited the Commissioner if she knows what he'll say when asked.

Jay FM needs to work and train it's editorial team if at all they have one. Little wonder is the fact that the Station Manager is someone who knows nothing about journalism because he studied Linguistics at undergraduate level thus the gross neglect for ethical practices guiding the field and  practice of journalism. 

Jay FM should employ professional journalists and presenters to anchor it's programmes or it'll soon set the state on fire with their unprofessional presenters who think broadcasting stops at speaking with an alien tongue.

Jay FM should train its staff on presenting and how to engage guests on their shows and most importantly, how a presenter should differentiate between an attention seeker and a news maker.

Jay FM's management needs to be reminded that hiring a broadcaster isn't just about spoken English but rather depth and how well a presenter is grounded especially in working in a post-conflict society like Plateau State.

Instead of pursuing a path that will leave the State polarised, Jay FM should retrace its steps and chart a new cause by adopting professionalism taking into cognisance global best practices. Lastly, i admire the courage of the Hon. Dan Manjang for stating clearly his dismay at being ambushed by the presenters of the show and without mincing words he upheld the dignity of the person and good office of his Principal, exactly what any loyal lieutenant would do no matter whose ox is gored.