Lai Mohammed has reprimand US-based Cable News Network for its coverage of the #EndSARS protest in Lekki area of Lagos stating “CNN breached the most basic of the core principles of journalism – balance and fairness.”
The goverment also requested “an immediate and exhaustive investigation from CNN into its ‘investigative’ report on the Lekki Toll Gate incident to evaluate, among others, its authenticity.”
Lai Mohammed, The Minister of Information and Culture has stated this in his letter to Jonathan Hawkins, VP (Communications) in CNN Centre Atlanta, Georgia.
The letter which dated November 23 2020 entitled ‘Re: How a bloody night of bullets quashed a young protest movement’, was obtained by THE PUNCH in Abuja on Monday.
The letter reads, “Our attention has been drawn to an ‘investigation’ by CNN, entitled ‘How a Bloody Night of Bullets Quashed a Young Protest Movement’ and aired on 18 Nov. 2020, in which the international news organization said it had ”uncovered that Nigerian security forces opened fire on unarmed protesters” at the Lekki Toll Gate in Lagos, Nigeria, during the #EndSARS protest.
“We write to put on record that the report did not just fall short of journalistic standards, it reinforces the disinformation that is going around on the issue, it is blatantly irresponsible and it is a poor piece of journalistic work by a reputable international news organization.