“Business is ‘just business’: a scramble for profit,” wrote Richard Branson, the British international entrepreneur in his 2008 book, Business Stripped Bare (Virgin Books).
Although Branson talks about corporate social investment projects of his businesses in their operational environments, it is evident that even for him; ‘profit’ comes before social investments.
Whether it involves his Virgin Nigeria misadventure which left an acerbic taste in his mouth; his India foray and to the iconic ‘David vs. Goliath’ battle as he took on Coca Cola in their backyard with an audacious Virgin Cola launch.
It was all about ‘profit’…and if there was no profit in an environment, moves on elsewhere where the pasture is greener.
Like Branson’s Nigerian adventure, twitter last week left behind sour taste following its decision to suspend the twitter account of British journalist, Guy Adams for breaking its rules-of-engagements. Adams angered twitters’ business partners, the American TV network, NBC for divulging one of its executives’ email address in a tweet. The network filed a complaint with twitter leading to Adams suspension.
This incident has thrown up new challenges faced by journalists in their pursuit of news against the protection of commercial interest by entrepreneurs who provide the platforms for journalists to operate. This portents a new threat against the journalists right to freedom of information.
It conjures commercial interest over the right to inform and be informed.
Fair enough, twitter has restored Adams account following the international outcry against its initial decision to protect a business-partner’s interest.
“Twitter has a business relationship with NBC. If Twitter acts in a way to favour that business relationship over the freedom of its platform for its users, then Twitter risks losing the trust of those users,” Bloomberg Businessweek.com quotes Jeff Jarvis, a professor at City University of New York Graduate School of Journalism as saying.
Adams, a Los Angeles based writer for the London Daily Independent newspaper, said he didn’t do anything wrong with his post in an interview before twitter restored his account. “I don’t think I have done anything wrong, and I don’t think any reasonable person would think I’ve done something wrong. I’m surprised because I always thought Twitter was a company dedicated to the flow of information.”
The BBC reports that NBC paid $1.18 billion for Olympics broadcast rights over the United States territory. It subsequently worked out delay broadcast schedule (due to time differentials) in some states – but apparently, didn’t explain this to the viewers. “As a result its broadcast of the opening ceremony was shown on the US’s east coast with a three-and-a-half hour delay, and with a gap of up to six-and-a-half hours on the west coast.”
Adams’ suspension drew several tweet criticisms.
“Twitter’s suspension of @guyadams jars with company’s claim to be the free speech wing of the free speech party,” wrote the Guardian’s special projects editor Paul Lewis.
“I wouldn’t have posted the email address. But Twitter’s removing his account was outrageous,” added Dan Gillmor, from the Arizona State University’s school of journalism.
In the wake Hilary Clinton, US Secretary of State’s African tour where she is pontificating on need for Africa’s maximum rulers to do more to encourage democracy, this latest stunt from twitter is bad copy for the West’s freedom of expression as democracy dividend.
Nigeria’s elite ruling class frets over activities of citizens on social media, and some have lately muted the idea of censoring platforms like twitter and facebook. Last January, the Nigerian government discovered its state broadcast media propaganda apparatus couldn’t match the power of the social media platforms as citizens seizing up on the Arab Spring revolutions across the Middle East and North Africa effectively galvanized mass protests against unannounced fuel subsidy removal by President Goodluck Jonathan.
The result was mass protests against the government in cities across the country. The government backed down and reverted on the fuel prize, although not to its original price. But Nigerians saw that as a window of opportunity to free speech and association. No government would take them for granted anymore!
The Chinese effectively censors these social media platforms and if African governments also think they could do same without repercussions, then the citizens would have lost their last platforms to express their discontent with nonperforming governments.
Dr. Emovon Biokolo, Dean of the School of Media and Communications, Pan Africa University, Lagos noted that the social media platform(s) is a new media that enable citizens to express their views unhindered. He stated that their usage could checkmate arbitrariness among the ruling class over those they lord over without regards. Previous (military) governments resort to closing down erring media to bring them in line.
But incidents like the Adams case would provide a fertile ground upon which dictators could sow a new doctrine of ‘state security’ over citizens’ rights to free speech.
I am afraid that in this youth age of near absolute abandonment of age-old societal norms and beliefs, any attempt to gag the media of self expression could lead to total anarchy, the type never before experienced!