EXPLAINER: Was Tinubu’s speech ‘leaked’? What to know about presidential broadcasts

Early Sunday morning, President Bola Tinubu addressed Nigerians in a televised broadcast amid the #EndBadGovernance protest, which commenced on Thursday in many parts of the country.

Hours before his address, his speech surfaced on the internet in what many called a “leak”.

Public figures, including politicians, knocked the presidency for “fooling Nigerians”, while some expressed concerns about the safety of other classified documents.

But was the president’s speech top secret in the first place? Here’s what to know about presidential broadcasts.

HOW IS A PRESIDENTIAL BROADCAST DISSEMINATED?

Hours before a presidential broadcast, an embargoed copy is disseminated to select media houses, especially the print media.

These media houses are trusted with the speech to enable them to prepare timely and accurate reports as the president delivers his address. 

WHO IS IT SHARED WITH?

The presidential speech is usually dispatched to the editors of the media houses ahead of the broadcast.

WHAT ARE THE STIPULATED CONDITIONS WHEN SHARED?

The speech will be under strict embargo until the president delivers his address. In most cases, the media houses are permitted to share the speeches at least 15 minutes into the broadcast. 

Sharing the speech before the president’s broadcast flouts the agreement with the media and creates a lack of public trust in the presidency. It also affects the relationship between the media and the government.

WHY IS EARLY DISSEMINATION IMPORTANT?

To ensure the broadcast makes the front pages of mainstream newspapers, it is expected that the speeches are disseminated the night before, especially for broadcasts that are made early in the morning. 

For print media houses, this gives them ample time for production. 

IS IT GLOBAL BEST PRACTICE?

Disseminating presidential speeches before they are televised is not a practice peculiar to Nigeria; it is done globally.

The practice is not only restricted to presidencies. Large multilateral organisations such as the United Nations (UN) and other international non-governmental organisations also engage in this practice.