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Lagos CJ cautions journalists against “sensationalising” court proceedings
By Matthew Eloyi – The Chief Judge of Lagos State, Hon. Justice Kazeem Alogba, has cautioned that proper record of proceedings and judgement on cases should be first obtained and read before making remarks on the bench.
Alogba stated this during a courtesy visit by members of the Judicial Editors Forum (JEF), also comprising of lawyers in the media.
The visit was held at the Conference room of the Ikeja High Court in Lagos on Wednesday.
Responding to questions from the forum as it relates to judgment of courts, the CJ urged members of the public to “tarry” while commenting on court judgments and proceedings.
According to him, a person is only qualified to comment on a court judgment when the entire judgment has been seen and read.
In his words, “A judgment should not be commented on until the whole judgment is seen and read; It is the right of people to comment on judgements constructively and this criticism should seek to guide the Judiciary.”
Referring to a recent social media report on a case handled by two judges of the Lagos Division, he described both the reports and commentaries as unverified.
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“Recently, in the social media there was a case handled by two judges and there were utterances on social media that his colleague must have taken a bribe.
“When I heard of the development, I was not disturbed because I know the calibre of my judges.
“But lo and behold, when I called the two judges and I saw the record of proceedings, you could see the mischiefs by the reports,” he said
The CJ stated that once in doubt as to the correct proceedings or judgment in a case, every media practitioner is at liberty to apply for a certified true copy of the record of proceedings.
According to the CJ, sensationalising court proceedings is not in the interest of anyone concerned, and not in the best interest of journalism ethics.
“Let your criticisms be constructive with a clear goal of improving the system. All information required in the conduct of offices as a government organisation will be made available if applied in the right way,” he said.
(NAN)
