• Super Admin
• 08 Mar, 2026

A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, Otunba Segun Showunmi, has criticised journalist Mehdi Hasan over his recent interview with presidential spokesman Daniel Bwala, describing the exchange as hostile and inconsistent with the principles of professional journalism. Showunmi made his position known in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday, where he argued that the interview blurred the line between tough questioning and outright hostility. According to him, the tone of the conversation suggested that the objective was less about informing viewers and more about embarrassing the guest. "There is a clear difference between tough journalism and outright hostility. One serves the public interest. The other serves the ego of the interviewer," Showunmi wrote. He said the exchange between Hasan and Bwala appeared confrontational from the outset, with questions framed more as prosecutorial traps than genuine attempts to interrogate policy or governance issues. Showunmi also alleged that Bwala's responses were repeatedly interrupted before they could fully develop, while attempts at clarification were brushed aside. "What viewers witnessed was not a serious interview. It was an attempted public ambush," he stated. The PDP chieftain argued that the craft of journalism requires discipline and balance, particularly when interviewing public officials whose actions affect national policy. "The craft of interviewing demands discipline. It requires the ability to ask difficult questions while still allowing the guest to articulate answers," he wrote. He added that journalism also demands "intellectual confidence strong enough to permit disagreement without descending into open hostility." Showunmi further noted that Nigeria is currently dealing with a range of complex national challenges that deserved serious discussion during the interview. He listed issues such as economic restructuring, security concerns and governance reforms as areas that should have been interrogated to help citizens better understand government policy. "A responsible interviewer would have used the opportunity to interrogate the administration's policies on these matters: What strategies are being deployed? What reforms are underway? What outcomes should citizens expect?" he said. Instead, he maintained that viewers were treated to what he described as an exercise in selective outrage and repetitive interruption. Showunmi also faulted insinuations that political realignments are illegitimate in democratic politics, noting that shifting alliances are common in democratic systems around the world. "Democratic politics is built on shifting alliances. Individuals and movements evolve. Former opponents become partners when national circumstances demand cooperation," he wrote. He warned that when journalists ridicule or attempt to humiliate their guests, they risk undermining the credibility of the profession. "A journalist who openly ridicules or repeatedly attempts to humiliate a guest crosses an important professional boundary," he stated. "The role of the interviewer is to hold power accountable not to behave like a courtroom prosecutor seeking a viral 'gotcha' moment." Showunmi added that audiences deserve interviews that focus on policy and governance rather than theatrical confrontation. "Respectful engagement does not weaken journalism; it strengthens it. Firm questioning does not require contempt. Professionalism does not require aggression," he said. Source: https://thesun.ng/bwala-hostility-is-not-journalism-pdp-chieftain-tells-mehdi-hasan/