Joe Attueyi:
I am amused about this storm in a tea-cup...simply because it is SR!
There is a difference between untruth and a lie. SR published an UNTRUTH, and it has corrected itself IMMEDIATELY it got more information. If it maintains the UNTRUTH despite knowing the accurate information, that crosses over to a LIE. Those who have a beef against SR's exploits will try to MAGNIFY it - including possibly you? - and those of us who know that any human endeavor cannot be perfect will bring the situation to its right perspective.
Has any one, for example, faulted the recent expose by SR of Gwadabe's secret memo to GEJ? Is that not more important than whether some Madame Patience visited a farm with Madame Michelle or not? Or when SR reported about Aondoakaa's denial of diplomatic entry into the US, which was first denied vociferously - before conform
Come on....
News feeds publish clarifications and retractions all the time - and move on, learning from the last clarification and retraction. Only a naive person writes that because of a published untruth "I will not be trusting either Sahara Reporters or the Citizen Reporter to provide an accurate information on this issue...." That is crap.
Let me relate a story: I once was Chairman of a big pro-democrcay event in Washington DC several years ago (June 2000), that occurred at Howard University. It was about the debt-buy-back issue that had IBB in the middle of it.
http://www.xenutv.com/blog/?cat=193
John Fashanu Confesses
The Nigerian Debate - VIDEOTAPED June 11, 2000
Howard University, Washington D.C.
It was reported in a newspaper in Nigeria. I spoke extensively, both as speaker and Chairman. I knew the reporter who covered it. ALL the names of those who spoke were mentioned - except MY NAME. Completely air-brushed out. It was quite odd. When I asked the reporter who covered it why, he said that his full report included my name, etc., but he was told from the the Lagos desk that they felt he was promoting me, so they EXCLUDED my name.
Some newspaper in Nigeria later said that IBB sponsored the event, I guess because IBB did mentione (by name) the Howard event when once he was defending himself against the debt buy back palaver. I just smiled. I did not even care to write a rebuttal.
Newspapers in Nigeria do two things strangely:
- DELIBERATELY exclude from certain events the names of people who ATTENDED the event, either because they were not bribed, or they don't want to make them feel important; or
- DELIBERATELY include into certain events the names of people who NEVER attended the event, either because they have been BRIBED, or to make the event look important
I would have frowned at SR if the former was what was done, but my interrogation of Sowore when I read the present report was not it at all. It was just a Citizen Reporter who did not know all the dynamics of which First Ladies were where, and hence did not know that the First Ladies that she saw with Michelle SOMEWHERE where ALL the First Ladies that were there.
The Citizen Reporter DID not see Madame Patience anywhere that she filmed or snapped pictures. The only political statement here was that "She was not invited." The more accurate report should have been "It appears that she was not invited".
And there you have it. Let us move on....the lesson is to READ ALL THE NEWS and don't depend on just one source. That is elementary....
Bolaji Aluko
PS: Joe Attueyi, you are using the word "corruption" wrongly here. What is "corruption" in an untrue reporting that has since been corrected - within hours of the first report?
On Tue, Sep 28, 2010 at 1:21 PM, topcrest topcrest <topcrestt@yahoo.com> wrote:
"I will not be trusting either SaharaReporters or the Citizen reporter to provide an accurate information on this issue..."Prof Aluko,I think you miss the greater import that an incident like has on SR and the fight for a new Nigeria. Many people look to SR as a leader of the new type of media that brings to the fore those things that the Nigeria media will/cannot publish for one reason or the other.I will be surprised if SR is NOT aware that there has always been a concerted effort from those it exposes to either shut it down or failing that discredit it. For SR to publish a blatant lie easily disprovable by a single picture from a "luggage officer" is akin to suicide.When the above quote is written by a status quo individual like Dr Kassim then what will the enemies of SR say about the next expose?If I were an advisor of SR, I would say :1. STOP splitting hairs. You were sold a dummy. Simply accept that fact and apologise to Mrs Jonathan and your numerous subscribers. It enhances your reputation.2. Look into your system and update your QA/QC to ensure this sort of booboo does not recur ( as I write this, it occurs to me that enemies of SR posing as "citizen reporter" could have sold this dummy to SR to discredit it).You cannot fight corruption with corruption.Joe
To: OlaKassimMD@aol.com
Cc: NaijaPolitics@yahoogroups.com; USAAfricaDialogue@googlegroups.com; naijaelections@yahoogroups.com; NIDOA@yahoogroups.com; ekitipanupo@yahoogroups.com; naijaintellects@googlegroups.com
Sent: Tue, September 28, 2010 5:58:32 PM
Subject: Re: NIDOA | Updated With Correction And Clarification of "UN Jamboree Fallout: Michelle Obama Shuns Patience Jonathan In New York"
Ola Kassim:
Who is splitting hairs?
It is one thing to see Madame Patience in company with Madame Michelle - and then report that she was NOT there and NOT invited.
It is ANOTHER thing NOT to see her in company, and knowing that she was in the vicinity - meaning on the continent of the USA - come to a conclusion that she was NOT invited.
And it is good journalistic professionalism to send out a clarification and correction, after being given solid evidence that Madame Patience was INDEED there rampaging with several other First Ladies in a farm - and coming to a conclusion that she was INVITED.
All-in-all, I find the whole thing funny, a storm in a tea-cup: coming from a farm in Nigeria all the way to meet a First Lady in a farm in the US!
Quite interesting....
Instead of splitting hairs, I wonder why they were not splitting wood at the farm.....
Let us move on ojare......this is not World War III.....
Bolaji AlukoOn Tue, Sep 28, 2010 at 11:34 AM, <OlaKassimMD@aol.com> wrote:
Bolaji:This is splitting hairs.The important thing is whether or not Mrs Jonathan was invited to the main event.She was and she attended, hence the citizen reporter and Sahara Reporter whichre-broadcasted the news are both wrong, not just the citizen reporter.Secondly, whether or not Mrs Jonathan was invited to the side-event, the tour of the chickenfarm and she decided not to attend is an open question. I will not be trusting either SaharaReporters or the Citizen reporter to provide an accurate information on this issue.The NTA edit of the video coverage which showed Mrs Jonathan playing a greater role at the eventthan she did reminds me of a similar case in which a newspaper in Egypt published a photoshoppedpicture of Mubarak walking along with Obama, the prime minister of Israel,and leader of the PLO in a White House corridor at the onset ioof the current Middle East negotiations.Obama, the host as is to be expected was in front of hisguests in the real picture while the edited one published by a pro-government newspaper in Egypthad Mubarak in front. Imagine leading a guest leading his host as the host takes himon a house tour.NTA's re-edited version of the events in DC and the Mubarak's picture raise the issue about what is newsand what is entertainment in today's world. Is news what the public really wants to see or hearexactly the way the events unfolded--which may be boring because the audience has no interestin the most of the routine stuff.We live in an instant world.Complaining about NTA's edit of the video to show Mrs Patience at an eventto an audience of Nigerians is comparable to complaining about the highlights of a soccermatch in which the only segments shown are close to the goal posts--mostly when a goal hasbeen scored by a strikerand less frequently when the goalkeeper foils the attempted goal kick.I would be more concerned if NTA had placed Mrs Jonathan at an event that she didnot attend--a scenario that is possiblein today's digital world. I am less concerned about NTA's reediting a video to show the first ladyperforming some functions during a visit that is paid for by public fuinds. Will NTA's audiencebe interested in watching Michelle performing some functions along with otherfirst ladies without Nigeria's Mrs Jonathan, Nigeria's first lady. I doubt it!Let's not forget that the NTA is an arm (a parastatal) under the Ministry of Information. Part of NTA's jobis to provide coverage of government activities.ideally in a balanced manner. It is hard to find a stateownedmedi in the world that does not favour the government line anywhere in the world. Not even the venerable BBC.Bye,Ola
---- Original Message ----
From: Mobolaji ALUKO <alukome@gmail.com>
To: NaijaPolitics e-Group <NaijaPolitics@yahoogroups.com>; USAAfrica Dialogue <USAAfricaDialogue@googlegroups.com>; Naija Elections <naijaelections@yahoogroups.com>; NIDOA <NIDOA@yahoogroups.com>; ekiti ekitigroups <ekitipanupo@yahoogroups.com>; naijaintellects <naijaintellects@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Tue, Sep 28, 2010 10:53 am
Subject: NIDOA | Updated With Correction And Clarification of "UN Jamboree Fallout: Michelle Obama Shuns Patience Jonathan In New York"
Dear All:
And there you have it....you cannot report what you did not see.....and you must report correctly what you see.
Let us move on....
Bolaji Aluko
___________________________
http://saharareporters.com/news-page/un-jamboree-fallout-michelle-obama-shuns-patience-jonathan-new-york-updated-correction-and
Correction and clarification: The citizen reporter who covered this story erroneously reported that Mrs. Michelle Obama did not invite Mrs. Patience Jonathan to the Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture last Friday.Saharareporters has confirmed that Mrs. Jonathan was in fact invited along with 38 other wives of visiting heads of state, and was indeed present.However, Mrs. Jonathan was excluded from the pool of First Ladies who were asked to accompany Mrs. Obama on a tour of the chicken farm. The Cameroonian First Lady, Mrs. Biya, that of Haiti, Norway, Turkey, and Swaziland were among those who were included on that tour. As is evident from the attached 13-minute video, there was no time that the Nigerian delegation reportedly led by Mrs. Jonathan played any visible role throughout the event. However, the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) has made it seem as if Mrs. Jonathan was the center of attraction at the event. In addition, neither the White House Blog nor the major American media mentioned Mrs. Jonathan's participation at Mrs. Obama's event.
________________
UN Jamboree Fallout: Michelle Obama Shuns Patience Jonathan In New York -Updated With Correction And Clarification
Posted: September 27, 2010 - 22:27
By SaharaReporters, New YorkDespite her large, show-off delegation to New York—perhaps because of it—First Lady Patience Jonathan was on Friday in New York spurned by the wife of the world's most powerful man.Michelle Obama, who was in New York as part of the 65th United Nations General Assembly, invited spouses of world leaders, including those of the leaders of such countries as Cameroon, Mongolia, Swaziland and Latvia, to tour a farm north of New York City as part of "Healthy Living" initiative. She thereafter treated her guests to a seasonal lunch featuring bounty from the farm as well as the White House garden.At both events, Nigeria's Mrs. Jonathan was embarrassingly missing.It was not immediately clear why she was not invited, but reliable sources said Mrs. Jonathan is not highly regarded because of her poor reputation. It will be recalled that President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have been very critical of corrupt African leaders, and Mrs. Jonathan has highly-visible and un-discharged money-laundering charges against her. One of them, concerning the seizure from her of the sum of $13.5 million dollars by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on September 11, 2006, was broadcast worldwide by the International Herald Tribune.Other factors in the decision to exclude her may be her insertion of self into the political process in Rivers, where she recently had a run-in with the state governor. Mrs. Jonathan also has a penchant for frivolous jamborees and wasting taxpayers' money. A report of her curious trip to Lebanon and Dubai in the early days of her husband's presidency has badly damaged her reputation, a source said yesterday. The White House was also certain to have received reports of her bloated delegation to New York. According to report by 234next newspaper and the entourage list obtained by Saharareporters, personal aides that accompanied Mrs. Jonathan into New York include her steward, Benson Okpara; her luggage officer, Geoffrey Obuofforibo; and her special assistant in charge of administration, Oroyemisi Ojewole.And while her husband flew into New York on Thursday morning with 32 bodyguards and security aides, Mrs. Jonathan flew in her own security cocoon. There were her aide-de-camp, Jacob Tamunoibuomi; her orderly, Abigail Jonah; and Francis Ibiene, her chief security officer.The president's wife also shocked presidency officials, who coordinated the 36-hour trip, when she included her personal physician, Elizabeth Austin-Amadi, although the president's chief physician, F. iberesima, was on also the trip. Mrs. Jonathan also travelled with her director of protocol, Mfama Abam; her principal protocol officer, Nuhu Kwache; her special assistant, domestic matters, Martha Onwuzurumba; her special assistant, media, Aliagan Zubair; and her media officer, Ayo Adewuyi. The first lady also took her private posse on the journey. The inner chamber included four of her friends who were marked "private" on the presidential entourage. They were Bola Shagaya, Joyce Bozimo, Pelebo Banigo and Musa Ujah.Also on her delegation were Helen Mark, wife of the President of the Senate; Mariam Imoke, wife of Cross River State governor; Fatima Shema, wife of the Katsina State governor; Oluwakemi Alao-Akala, wife of the Oyo State governor; and Clara Chime, wife of the Enugu State chief executive. Mrs. Mark, in turn, brought along two of her aides - Ogwuiji Clement and Omeche Omudu , while the vice president's wife, Amina Sambo, made the journey with her aide-de-camp, Abubakar Dauda, as well as her principal protocol officer, Zayyad Abdulsalam, and her personal assistant, Dabo Suleiman.Meanwhile, SaharaReporters has learned that that Nigeria lost $25,000 to a con contractor who hired limousines for Mr. Jonathan's delegation. The US government provided three vehicles and escorts for the presidential delegation. But because of the bloated size of the team, about 500 people in total, additional vehicles had to be hired. However, instead of approaching the limousine company directly, the president's team went through a third party who simply inflated the contract by $25,000.Jonathan profligacy will continue in Abuja tomorrow where his controversial wife will begin a series of state-sponsored celebrations of her 50th birthday celebration tagged "50-at-50". The publicly-owned Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) has begun a series of adverts of the event which includes awards to questionable characters like the chair of the EFCC, Farida Waziri, and the disgraced former speaker of the House of Representatives, Patricia Etteh. The highlight of the celebrations of Mrs. Jonathan's birthday will involve Mrs. Jonathan traveling back to the US with 50 women to party and shop.______________________________
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