WELCOME ADDRESS BY THE PRESIDENT, COALITION OF ONLINE PUBLISHERS, BLOGGERS AND SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCERS (COPBSMI), COMRADE UBONG DAVID, AT MEDIA CONVERGE 2022 HOLDING TODAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2022 AT NISSI HALL, EDEN HOTELS LTD, MARINA ROAD, EKET.
PROTOCOLS
I am so delighted to welcome you all to this very important event, Media Converge 2022, which is second in the series of events organized by Coalition of Online Publishers, Bloggers and Social Media Influencers (COPBSMI), after its formation December last year. Like I said in my welcome remarks at our inaugural event, COPBSMI is a child of circumstance, as the idea about its formation was birthed at Eket Christmas Village on Thursday, 9 December, 2021.
But that notwithstanding, we have resolved to keep engaging the public and key stakeholders in the media constituency on how best we can use the tools and platforms available at our disposal to discuss development issues, get people actively involved in governance and also advance the cause of humanity.
As we all know, social media has dramatically changed the way in which modern political campaigns are run. With more digital native citizens coming into the voting population, social media have become important platforms on which politicians establish themselves and engage with the voters. Social media creates greater opportunity for political persuasion, due to high number of citizens that regularly engage and build followership on social media.
The media play an indispensable role in the proper functioning of a democracy. Discussions of the media’s functions within electoral contexts, often focuses on their “watchdog” role by unfettered scrutiny and discussion of the successes and failures of candidates, governments, and electoral management bodies. The media can inform the public of how effectively they have performed and help to hold them to account.
The media also have other roles in enabling full public participation in elections by educating voters on how to exercise their democratic rights; by reporting on the development of an election campaign; by providing a platform for the political parties and candidates to communicate their messages to the electorate; by providing a platform for the public to communicate their concerns, opinions and needs to the parties/candidates, the government and to interact on these issues; by scrutinizing the electoral process itself, including electoral management, in order to evaluate the fairness of the process, its efficiency and its probity.
The media helps to determine the political agenda of a country. The media also plays a major role in keeping the citizenry abreast of current events and raising awareness of various issues in any society. The media is the primary means through which public opinion is shaped and at times manipulated. The task of the media is not and should not be to function as a mouthpiece for any government body or particular candidate. Its basic role is to enlighten and educate the public and act as a neutral, objective platform for the free debate of all points of view.
It is on this premise that we decided to bring all of us here to share our thoughts on how media practitioners can use their platforms to effectively influence governance, get people involved in democratization, cause politicians to account for their actions, etc.
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, please permit me to use this medium to welcome our Keynote Speaker, Associate Professor Etim Frank for his acceptance to deliver the Keynote Address. Also, our revered Panelists who have accepted to share their thoughts with us, you are all welcome. Let me also welcome all our Special Guests and Invitees for honouring us. Thank you for finding time to identify with us. We look forward to an interesting and engaging deliberation.
Thank you for coming.
Once again, you are all welcome.
