On media ethics and the diginty of the presidency-By Yusuf Ali

It is deeply troubling that a brief, human moment involving President Bola Ahmed Tinubu during an official visit to Türkiye has been reduced by sections of our media to clickbait headlines and reckless commentary.

Let us be clear: old age is not a crime. It is a privilege many are denied. A slip or stumble—whether induced by age, fatigue, terrain, or circumstance—is a human experience, not a national emergency, and certainly not a justification for mockery, exaggeration, or sensational reporting.

What is more disturbing is the misplaced sense of “news value” some media houses appear to derive from amplifying such moments. One is compelled to ask: what joy is being driven from reporting the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces as having fallen, rather than reporting what he went to do for Nigeria?

At a time when the President is engaging world leaders, strengthening bilateral relations, and advancing Nigeria’s strategic and economic interests abroad, the focus should rightly be on the substance of those engagements—not on a fleeting physical misstep stripped of context and weaponized for virality.

Media freedom is vital to democracy, but it comes with responsibility. Ethical journalism demands balance, restraint, and national consciousness. The press is not merely a mirror of events; it is a shaper of narratives. When that power is deployed without wisdom, it diminishes not just the subject of the report, but the credibility of the institution reporting it.

Criticism of leadership is legitimate. Scrutiny is healthy. But ridicule masquerading as reporting is neither patriotic nor professional. Nations that take themselves seriously protect the dignity of their highest office even while holding its occupant accountable.

President Tinubu remains actively engaged, mentally alert, and diplomatically productive. To reduce his presidency—or Nigeria’s international representation—to a viral clip is an injustice to the office, the country, and the very idea of responsible journalism. Our
media can, and must, do better.

Yusuf Ali, media aide to Yobe Governor, Mai Mala Buni, on Digital and Strategic Communications