The Chairman of Channels Media Group, Mr John Momoh, says that strong and independent media organisations will provide solutions to emerging socio-political challenges in the country.
Momoh made the submission in a keynote address at a two-day roundtable on Media Development and Sustainable Funding in Nigeria, held at the Bayero University, Kano.
His speech was made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Sunday.
According to him, society needs strong and independent news organisations to drive journalism in the interest of the public.
“There is no lack of opinions, we are drowning in them.
“What is supposed to drive opinions and expose corruption and abuse of power is good journalism but it is expensive to be financed.”
Momoh said that as society grew more dependent on digital information infrastructures, national media policies faced new challenges with the emergence of global platform players in the content and distribution markets.
“Trans-national conditions therefore, invite national stakeholders to engage both with national policy regulators and international operations in their long-term bargaining.
“Recent developments in the media markets have led to a sense of urgent demands for government to increase its interventions through enforced or renewed policy measures.”
However, Momoh stated that for the media to overcome critical challenges and meet the aspirations of audiences and society, it needed to be financed adequately.
“Securing support to institutional media in a time of technological disruption is therefore, conceptualised as a measure to protect democracy itself, not just the financial security of the incumbent.
“Media practitioners in Nigeria should be at the table where, for example policies that regulate and govern the industry are discussed and agreed,” he said.