Lai: Newspaper editorials can no longer bring down a government

Lai Mohammed, minister of information and culture, says gone are the days when newspapers were so powerful that their editorials could bring down a government.

Speaking at a meeting with resident information officers (RIOs) in his ministry, Mohammed acknowledged the role of social media in the dissemination of information.

He claimed that the federal government was under-reported because its information handlers were not using the right and current communication channels.

“Government is doing so much, yet  people keep saying they do not know because we are not communicating through the right channel,” he said.

“Gone were the days when the newspapers and the television stations were the major means of information dissemination. Newspapers are no longer as powerful as they used to be. Before newspaper editorial can bring down a government. Gone are those day when the Sunday Times sold half a million copies in one day.

“But today the new media is the social media and unless you are there and show a very strong presence, you are not communicating to the world.

“We need technology to inform the world on what we are doing and with the new applications every person in the world will get to know what is happening in the country real time.”

He said an information dissemination App would be launched before the end of the month, and that it would bridge the gap by using the social media to “tell the world what the government is doing”.

He urged the RIOs to rise up to the challenge, adding that they would be the one to feed the App with stories.

He said government would organise workshops for the purpose, starting with 25 to 30 key ministries and agencies before others are brought in.