Nigeria And The Doctrine Of No News Is Good News

Bala Ibrahim.

In every scenario, particularly scenes with the profusion of public participation, perception plays a principal role always. Everyone looks at things from the comfort of his, or her scope of understanding. And in most cases, they want their own version of understanding to be bought by everyone. That’s not good, at least by the provision of the freedom to hold opinions, which says that, everyone is free to have their own beliefs and thoughts, without fear of being forced into the beliefs of others. Also, in every scenario, there are likely to be winners and losers. In Nigeria, contrary to the doctrine of no news is good news, which is an idiom that stands to say that, if you haven’t heard anything about a situation, it’s likely that nothing bad has happened, Nigerians seem to think, or believe in the reverse.

Once there is silence, at a time when they are expecting to hear something, then the answer is negative. Their belief is that something bad must have happened. At the risk of branding my country as the residence of cynical people, where many, may be including yours truly, have a general distrust of others, and are quick to assume that selfishness is playing the role of motivator always, this attitude has come to rubbish the idiom of no news is good news. Once there is silence, then something bad must have happened.

By the ambition of its construction, the idiom of no news is good news is implying that, if there were a problem, those who need to know would have been contacted by now. So if they are not contacted, it means, as the police would say, “area is calm”. Yes, the logic in the phrase operates on the assumption that people are more likely to report bad news than good news.

The journalists among us would recall the saying that, “dog bites man, not news; man bites dog, news”. This conundrum is now a consensus that is central to the context of our conscience as Nigerians, I think. We are more comfortable in accepting the unusual and unexpected events are more newsworthy than the common ones. Like while a dog biting a man is a frequent occurrence, a person biting a dog is rare and therefore newsworthy, because it runs contrary to convention or what is considered as the norm. Nigerians want to hear the man biting the dog, especially where the story has to do with their leaders.

In the light of the recent rescue operations carried out by our gallant security operatives, operations that made the President to send commendations and words of appreciation to all that helped in the success of the exercises, some Nigerians have chosen to behave according to the expectation of reversed mentality. Yes, the expectation of defeatism. They just dont want to believe that the students were rescued pursuant to the tactical operations of our brave boys. What they want to hear is, Nigerian security agents were humiliated, defeated or degraded.

Within minutes of the release of the girls, the enemy released videos of some ragtag soldiers, addressing the girls in their captivity, asking the girls if any of them was rough-handled or molested. Telling them that, despite the numerous efforts of the military to scare them by the use of fighter jets, they refused to falter. Impliedly, because of their tactical superiority, the Nigerian security agents couldn’t get them. But now, because of negotiations, also impliedly saying ransom was paid, they are willing to let them go. Cheap propaganda.

In fact, a friend, who is suppose to know the antics of propaganda more than me, sent a private message to me, with the video clip and wrote: “you people writing propaganda for the government, using insecurity for 2027, don’t you think Nigerians have access to the real facts on such issues? Take it that u’re only convincing yourselves”. “Nigerians have access to the real facts on such issues?” I am still pondering over this position. Simply because the Government has not made public how the girls were rescued, my friend is ready to believe the other side, that has spoken through the tool of propaganda?

In an effort to raise the morale and support for the German military during the World War II, Adolf Hitler said, “a nation is defeated if it does not believe in its soldiers,” Nothing can be more damning than a nation loosing confidence in the capacity of its security agents, and believing more, in the propaganda of the enemy. In Nigeria, we dont believe in the idiom of, no news is simply good news. Until we change this attitude, especially at a time of war like now, the gap between our conscience and patriotism, would only continue to widen.

NIGERIA AND THE DOCTRINE OF NO NEWS IS GOOD NEWS.

Bala Ibrahim.

In every scenario, particularly scenes with the profusion of public participation, perception plays a principal role always. Everyone looks at things from the comfort of his, or her scope of understanding. And in most cases, they want their own version of understanding to be bought by everyone. That’s not good, at least by the provision of the freedom to hold opinions, which says that, everyone is free to have their own beliefs and thoughts, without fear of being forced into the beliefs of others. Also, in every scenario, there are likely to be winners and losers. In Nigeria, contrary to the doctrine of no news is good news, which is an idiom that stands to say that, if you haven’t heard anything about a situation, it’s likely that nothing bad has happened, Nigerians seem to think, or believe in the reverse.

Once there is silence, at a time when they are expecting to hear something, then the answer is negative. Their belief is that something bad must have happened. At the risk of branding my country as the residence of cynical people, where many, may be including yours truly, have a general distrust of others, and are quick to assume that selfishness is playing the role of motivator always, this attitude has come to rubbish the idiom of no news is good news. Once there is silence, then something bad must have happened.

By the ambition of its construction, the idiom of no news is good news is implying that, if there were a problem, those who need to know would have been contacted by now. So if they are not contacted, it means, as the police would say, “area is calm”. Yes, the logic in the phrase operates on the assumption that people are more likely to report bad news than good news.

The journalists among us would recall the saying that, “dog bites man, not news; man bites dog, news”. This conundrum is now a consensus that is central to the context of our conscience as Nigerians, I think. We are more comfortable in accepting the unusual and unexpected events are more newsworthy than the common ones. Like while a dog biting a man is a frequent occurrence, a person biting a dog is rare and therefore newsworthy, because it runs contrary to convention or what is considered as the norm. Nigerians want to hear the man biting the dog, especially where the story has to do with their leaders.

In the light of the recent rescue operations carried out by our gallant security operatives, operations that made the President to send commendations and words of appreciation to all that helped in the success of the exercises, some Nigerians have chosen to behave according to the expectation of reversed mentality. Yes, the expectation of defeatism. They just dont want to believe that the students were rescued pursuant to the tactical operations of our brave boys. What they want to hear is, Nigerian security agents were humiliated, defeated or degraded.

Within minutes of the release of the girls, the enemy released videos of some ragtag soldiers, addressing the girls in their captivity, asking the girls if any of them was rough-handled or molested. Telling them that, despite the numerous efforts of the military to scare them by the use of fighter jets, they refused to falter. Impliedly, because of their tactical superiority, the Nigerian security agents couldn’t get them. But now, because of negotiations, also impliedly saying ransom was paid, they are willing to let them go. Cheap propaganda.

In fact, a friend, who is suppose to know the antics of propaganda more than me, sent a private message to me, with the video clip and wrote: “you people writing propaganda for the government, using insecurity for 2027, don’t you think Nigerians have access to the real facts on such issues? Take it that u’re only convincing yourselves”. “Nigerians have access to the real facts on such issues?” I am still pondering over this position. Simply because the Government has not made public how the girls were rescued, my friend is ready to believe the other side, that has spoken through the tool of propaganda?

In an effort to raise the morale and support for the German military during the World War II, Adolf Hitler said, “a nation is defeated if it does not believe in its soldiers,” Nothing can be more damning than a nation loosing confidence in the capacity of its security agents, and believing more, in the propaganda of the enemy. In Nigeria, we dont believe in the idiom of, no news is simply good news. Until we change this attitude, especially at a time of war like now, the gap between our conscience and patriotism, would only continue to widen.

Bala Ibrahim.

In every scenario, particularly scenes with the profusion of public participation, perception plays a principal role always. Everyone looks at things from the comfort of his, or her scope of understanding. And in most cases, they want their own version of understanding to be bought by everyone. That’s not good, at least by the provision of the freedom to hold opinions, which says that, everyone is free to have their own beliefs and thoughts, without fear of being forced into the beliefs of others. Also, in every scenario, there are likely to be winners and losers. In Nigeria, contrary to the doctrine of no news is good news, which is an idiom that stands to say that, if you haven’t heard anything about a situation, it’s likely that nothing bad has happened, Nigerians seem to think, or believe in the reverse.

Once there is silence, at a time when they are expecting to hear something, then the answer is negative. Their belief is that something bad must have happened. At the risk of branding my country as the residence of cynical people, where many, may be including yours truly, have a general distrust of others, and are quick to assume that selfishness is playing the role of motivator always, this attitude has come to rubbish the idiom of no news is good news. Once there is silence, then something bad must have happened.

By the ambition of its construction, the idiom of no news is good news is implying that, if there were a problem, those who need to know would have been contacted by now. So if they are not contacted, it means, as the police would say, “area is calm”. Yes, the logic in the phrase operates on the assumption that people are more likely to report bad news than good news.

The journalists among us would recall the saying that, “dog bites man, not news; man bites dog, news”. This conundrum is now a consensus that is central to the context of our conscience as Nigerians, I think. We are more comfortable in accepting the unusual and unexpected events are more newsworthy than the common ones. Like while a dog biting a man is a frequent occurrence, a person biting a dog is rare and therefore newsworthy, because it runs contrary to convention or what is considered as the norm. Nigerians want to hear the man biting the dog, especially where the story has to do with their leaders.

In the light of the recent rescue operations carried out by our gallant security operatives, operations that made the President to send commendations and words of appreciation to all that helped in the success of the exercises, some Nigerians have chosen to behave according to the expectation of reversed mentality. Yes, the expectation of defeatism. They just dont want to believe that the students were rescued pursuant to the tactical operations of our brave boys. What they want to hear is, Nigerian security agents were humiliated, defeated or degraded.

Within minutes of the release of the girls, the enemy released videos of some ragtag soldiers, addressing the girls in their captivity, asking the girls if any of them was rough-handled or molested. Telling them that, despite the numerous efforts of the military to scare them by the use of fighter jets, they refused to falter. Impliedly, because of their tactical superiority, the Nigerian security agents couldn’t get them. But now, because of negotiations, also impliedly saying ransom was paid, they are willing to let them go. Cheap propaganda.

In fact, a friend, who is suppose to know the antics of propaganda more than me, sent a private message to me, with the video clip and wrote: “you people writing propaganda for the government, using insecurity for 2027, don’t you think Nigerians have access to the real facts on such issues? Take it that u’re only convincing yourselves”. “Nigerians have access to the real facts on such issues?” I am still pondering over this position. Simply because the Government has not made public how the girls were rescued, my friend is ready to believe the other side, that has spoken through the tool of propaganda?

In an effort to raise the morale and support for the German military during the World War II, Adolf Hitler said, “a nation is defeated if it does not believe in its soldiers,” Nothing can be more damning than a nation loosing confidence in the capacity of its security agents, and believing more, in the propaganda of the enemy. In Nigeria, we dont believe in the idiom of, no news is simply good news. Until we change this attitude, especially at a time of war like now, the gap between our conscience and patriotism, would only continue to widen.