By Godwin Utuedoye,
Rev. Fr. Dr. Chris Anyanwu, Director of Social Communications, Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria (CSN), has recently advocated for a daily Catholic newspaper that will reflect what is happening in Nigeria within the Christian perspective and serve as the mouthpiece of the Church in the country.
He said currently, there are Catholic weekly, monthly, fortnight and even quarterly publications across the 54 dioceses and archdioceses in the country but decried the long period it takes before publication which make the news story become stale.
Speaking with Catholic Journalists at his CSN office, Abuja, he disclosed that the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) is also thinking towards the same direction.
The cleric stated, “We need a vibrant Catholic newspaper that will report events in the Christian perspective and I think this is the emphasis of the bishops that we should work towards a daily newspaper. We should move towards a catholic newspaper that is daily that would be powerful, and become a mouthpiece of the Catholic Church, which will also reflect what is happening in the country”.
Citing Ghana as an example, Rev. Fr. Anyanwu noted that the whole of Ghana has only one Catholic newspaper which is very powerful and every diocese in that nation cued into it. I think that is part of the thinking of the bishops.
He said though there are standard Catholic Newspaper that are weekly like the Good Shepherd, the Leader Newspaper in the East, but we should be more vibrant in our news reportage. “There is need for more of features, analyzing events of what has happened and come out with solutions. Not necessarily trying to compete with circular newspapers, but look at the trends of events that have happened and come with a Christian perspective.”
Recalling the complaint by the Episcopal chairman of the Social Communications department of the CBCN and auxiliary bishop of Onitsha, Most Rev. Denis Isizoh that Catholic publications give too much priority on circular news and adverts.
“I can recall the bishop’s emphasis was so much on circular advertisements that water down some of the principles of the Church, that we should be selective, not just because of money. Emphasis shouldn’t be much on making too much money to the detriment of giving out news that will build the society. That was the emphasis. We can take circular news, and give it a religious or Christian perspective.”
Speaking on the upcoming plenary of the Catholic directors of social communications on Tuesday, October 9- Friday, October 12, 2018 in Ahiara diocese, Imo State, Fr. Anyanwu said it is necessary that they meet in Ahiara in order to rewrite the history of the diocese.
He stated, “You may have known that Ahiara has been in the news for a longtime and thank God that peace has returned. So it became necessary that the media or the communication directors should meet in Ahiara to tell history of a new Ahiara so that just like things were destroyed in the past, we can also build again. That is the essence of bringing communications directors to Ahiara to tell a new story of a new Ahiara that is emerging, which people have not even heard about, so that is part of the reason why we are meeting there.”
He also revealed that the directors will use the opportunity to have a new election for the diocesan directors of communication since the tenure of the present executive will soon expire.
It was gathered that the meeting will subject all diocesan newspapers and magazines for evaluation.