David Mark Denies Calling For Social Media Censorship

Senate President, Senator David Mark, was last week quoted by a newspaper asking for a clampdown on social media, saying that people now use them to demean their leaders. Now the Senate President is saying he was misquoted

Below is a statement from his special adviser on media, Kola Ologbondiyan, plus the the full text of what the senate president really said at the gathering

Recently, the President of the Senate, Senator David Mark, delivered a keynote address at the Senate press corps Retreat in Umuahia, Abia Sate. The theme of the Retreat was: The Role of the Media in Promoting Good Governance. In his address, the President of the Senate had asserted that “the emergence of the social media like Facebook, twitter, blackberry messenger, YouTube etc have changed the face of the media practice by making information sharing easier, faster and quicker. But this is not without its demerits. Social media has become a threat to the ethics of media practice and good governance because of its accessibility and absolute freedom. Every freedom carries a responsibility. Even in the advanced democracies, where we all agree that good governance is practiced, there is no absolute freedom.

Read more »