By Tony Adibe
The Roman Catholic Church on Sunday (May 21) marked the 57th World Communications Day (WCD, with a passionate appeal to journalists worldwide to always avoid the use of hostile language in communicating the truth to people.
During the Holy Mass celebrated to mark the day at the Holy Ghost Cathedral, Enugu, the Catholic Bishop of Enugu Diocese, Most Rev Dr. Callistus Onaga, in his homily, said that World Communications Day “is a day the Church set aside to commemorate communications as a whole – print media, electronic and social media.”
Presenting the message of Pope Francis themed, “Speaking with the Heart, The Truth in Love”, Bishop Onaga explained that “the central idea is to see how we can communicate the truth. The message of the Pope is so essential, especially in this our country, Nigeria. When we speak the truth with love, the miracle of encounter is made because everybody will understand it if it is done with love.”
Bishop Onaga advised journalists in Nigeria to always communicate their message to society without the “use of hostile language,” stressing that”it’s necessary to overcome the tendency to discredit and insult opponents from the outside than to open a respectful dialogue”.
He further said that true peace can only be built in mutual trust, adding that if journalists were communicating truth with love, in most cases, nothing bad would happen to them, urging them to communicate the truth that “would promote peace and help the true reconciliation amongst people.”
According to him, “Communicating with love is for everyone to speak the truth with charity. You don’t abuse people. We keep our tongues from speaking evil. With our tongues, we bless God, with the same tongue we curse people. It’s a kind of contradiction. Good conversation can build bridges.”
Advising the media workers not to make human relationships toxic through their communications, Bishop Onaga further said, “Don’t make relationship toxic. Something that is toxic is poisonous. Communication helps people to easily reflect the reality in which they live.”
He explained that communication should always come from the heart, and should show love, stressing that communication from the heart, “is for everyone, media workers, families, leaders”, and emphasised further that when people communicating, they should communicate with love and respect.
“We need communicators who are open to dialogue. Continue to tell the truth. Don’t depend on hearsay. What should be communicated should be able to resolve misunderstanding and bring peace,” said Bishop Onaga, who added that “in order to speak well, it is enough to love well. We should also communicate our anger with love.”
Quoting the Holy Father, Pope Francis, Bishop Onaga restated, “We need communicators who are open to dialogue.True peace can be found in mutual trust” He urged journalists to always be factual in their reportage and desist from all forms of propaganda.
Delivering a keynote address on the topic, “The Place of Uncompromising Truth in Nation Building and Development, The Undisputable Role of the Communicators,” the Head of Mass Communication Department, Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT), Prof Ifeanyi Didiugwu, advised that those in leadership should deviate from doing anything that would “affect the sensibility of the people.”
He criticised the tendency of those in government to want to dish out falsehood to the public, stressing that such brazen act of telling lies had a way of undermining the feelings of the masses. Prof Didiugwu said that real or concrete development “will thrive when the truth is communicated with respect, and everyone does the right thing.”
The university don advocated for well renumeration of media workers, adding rather sarcastically, “this thing we pay as salary to media workers is peanut.” Prof Didiugwu also spoke on the activities of the social media, explaining that social media has both advantages and disadvantages. “We are all guilty of fake news. Social media provide substance which we enjoy but they cause trouble too. You cannot control the social media,” he said point-blank.
In his lecture tagged, “Truth in Love (Eph 4:15) Import and Value of Pastoral Communication in the Salvific Mission of Church”, Rev. Fr. Prof. Innocent Ebere Uwah of the Department of Film and Multimedia Studies, Faculty of Communication and Media Studies, University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, noted that the roles of journalists are gatekeeping and agenda setting.
Prof Uwah advised journalists to always communicate “with love, respect and compassion, to be communicators who know how to enlighten the truth,” explaining that “it is a new order for journalists, the church and the leaders.”
The priest said, “Heart is the key concept of humanity Heart in Communication, reflects love, speaking from the heart. “Communicators should respect people’s human rights. Communication can bear further fruit when it takes into cognizance the people it addresses.”
The Guest speaker extolled the Bishop of Enugu Catholic diocese, Most Rev Dr. Callistus Onaga, the Director of Communications, Rev Fr Anthony Aneke and the immediate past Director of Communication, Very Rev Fr Benjamin Achi for their roles in promoting communications. However, the event witnessed march past by various media organisations, drama, musical and cultural dance presentations.
