- Daily Trust published an editor’s note on Wednesday
Daily Trust newspaper has issued a public apology over a misleading report published in July, which claimed that Nigeria had signed a $150 billion agreement with the European Union, allegedly endorsing an LGBT initiative.
The report, published on 4 July 2024, was titled “LGBT: Nigeria Signs $150 Billion Samoa Deal.” It incorrectly stated that the Federal Government had entered into a partnership agreement, referred to as the Samoa Agreement, with member states of the Organisation of African, Caribbean, and Pacific States (OACPS).
Following the publication, the Federal Government lodged a formal complaint with the National Media Complaints Commission (NMCC), an independent ombudsman, describing the story as misleading and damaging.
After conducting an investigation, the NMCC found that the report was not only inaccurate but also breached the Code of Ethics for Nigerian journalists. The Commission recommended that Daily Trust issue a public apology and implement corrective measures to prevent similar errors in the future.
In response, Daily Trust published an editor’s note on Wednesday, apologising to the Federal Government, its readers, and the general public for the mistake.
“We accept the verdict of the NMCC without any equivocation. We apologise to the Federal Government for any inconvenience the story might have caused. We also apologise to our readers and the public for getting the story wrong in the first place,” the newspaper stated.
Daily Trust further acknowledged that, while its editorial processes have been robust and effective for over 25 years, it has introduced additional measures to strengthen its reporting, editing, and approval mechanisms to ensure such mistakes do not recur.