Greetings to everyone, my HiveLearners' family. It feels good to be back and active once again.
Civilization has made us understand so many things. From primary school, kids are already being taught rights and freedoms. Having an understanding of these concepts is very important in order not to be trampled upon. Being an art student and my understanding of the government and the press, I will say that transparency is one of the components of a state practicing democracy.
The easiest definition of democracy by Abraham Lincoln “Democracy is government of the people, by the people, and for the people."Democracy and leadership shouldn't be one-sided all around. It is important for citizens to know everything that is happening and stay informed. In a society where citizens are not informed, leaders are prone to lead the masses in an unfair way, and they can't do anything about it.
With citizens actively participating in decision-making regardless of the situation, there is bound to be a solution to problems, no matter how devastating. A country where the press is not controlled by the government is one way to practice balance and transparency. Though some information can send fear into the lives of the masses, in a situation like that, putting heads together on how to handle the situation is important.
For me, whatever is happening in the country, citizens have the right to be informed. No matter how dangerous releasing the information would be, understanding that withholding it isn't the solution either. In a country like Nigeria, where news flies even before they happen, leading to fake news at times, with an open and transparent government, citizens can have trust, leading to a well-structured and unified country.
Though citizens need to stay informed about what is happening, there is a need for proper flow of information. There is some information that would send fear to the masses, some information that would be misunderstood. Using Nigeria for example ,the information on Boko Haram in some of the northern states has made lots of people conclude that all northern states are not safe.
When citizens are living in an informed state, everyone would know his rights and know when there is abuse of power by the authorities. While the government wants to control the masses and the media, letting the masses know what they want them to know through the press is not bad. Right access to information would help the masses know when to stand strong for their rights and fight to stop whatever form of oppression.
Some information, when released, can be misunderstood by the masses, and due to intolerance from Mr. A and tolerance from Mr. B, misunderstandings can occur, leading to disunity and war. In a situation where the information would lead to disunity and war due to a lack of understanding by some people, sharing the information in a way that won't hurt anyone is important for a balanced flow of information. Instead of being open to some sensitive information that would at the end lead to disorderliness, sharing the information in a lenient way that won't endanger or cause any misunderstand isn't a bad thing for a peaceful coexistence.
