By our correspondent
Speaker, Cross River State House of Assembly, John Gaul Lebo has promised that the 8th Assembly will diligently study and come out with legislations that will support the growth, practice and development of online journalism in the state. He also disclosed that a private member bill seeking the creation of the Cross River State New Media Company Limited, CRSNMC which will source for and provide funds for media development is currently been discussed in the House. Lebo spoke in his office when he received a delegation of the Association of Cross River Online Journalists, ACROJ.
He asserted that the online media the world over apart from helping to revolutionize the way government operates has also become “a catalyst that nobody can avoid”. While promising to remain press friendly, the Speaker charged ACROJ to uphold the highest journalistic ideals in a partnership with government that should guarantee remarkable benefits for the state.
Earlier in his address, Chairman of ACROJ and leader of delegation, Iwara U. Iwara, commended the Speaker for re-organizing the Assembly’s media unit and making the house open to what he termed “a critical online press”, insisting this approach will be one of the factors that will define the Speaker’s tenure in office. However, the ACROJ Chairman insisted that the 8th Assembly should look into the N2.4billion guaranteed by the state for the Calabar Media City which the Speaker promised that the House Committee on Information, Communication and Technology will look into it.
On the need for government to encourage the partnership with ACROJ, Iwara maintained that this has become necessary considering that presently, ACROJ stands out in the delivery of the Cross River narrative to Cross Riverians and beyond. “Consider an enabling law that will provide a grant or subvention to empower indigenous, registered and existing online media platforms struggling to tell the Cross River narrative”.
A member of the ACROJ delegation, Agba Jalingo, publisher of www.crossriverwatch.com, thanked the Speaker for granting the association audience in the believe that the Assembly and the CR online news platforms will work together for the good of the state.
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