Esosa Ekanem is a unique name that originates from Nigeria, blending two cultures within the country. Fatimah Sanni is another, given that Sanni is a Yoruba rendition of an Islamic name. Understanding these will make you see why I was suddenly caught aback listening to a piece of news that aired on your ITVX channel about the wonderful breakthrough in battery technology by UK scientists titled “UK scientists create world’s first diamond battery, capable of giving thousands of years of power.” I was left wondering when Ekanem and Sanni became UK names.

However, I do understand that in this very fluid world where people are migrating across borders and taking on new nationalities, it is possible that these individuals, featured on your channel, are truly UK citizens. No one should begrudge that. However, what is particularly begrudging is the lack of consistency in addressing people who may hold dual citizenship. Should they be considered citizens of their new country or should they be recognised as citizens of both countries? In essence, should these ladies be taken as UK scientists or Nigerian-UK scientists? You will agree with me that either is acceptable as long as we remain consistent in using this for our reporting.

So, you can see why I am shocked, noting that on your website on August 28, 2024, in a report titled “Gang jailed for forging marriage documents that allowed illegal living in the UK,” you had used the statement “The organised crime group, who were all themselves Nigerian, provided false” to refer to these dual-citizens.

Given these two instances, I have no other option than to conclude that your approach to reporting news is media-biased – biased to report good works as UK or Western and not-so-good works as African. This inconsistency in your approach to reporting is hurtful and creates a stereotype that lasts generations, affecting how relationships are built. Consider this: these two news pieces are there, permanently on the internet, outlasting you and me. Generations, born and yet unborn, will refer to these news items, and it becomes understandable that a child out there reading these two news items will form her ideas about UK and Nigerian citizens. We must correct this, and the time to do so is now.

Doing the right thing is hard, often painful, but it is something that we all have to do. “Change begins with me” is a popular saying, and in this case, the change begins with you. Leadership involves making difficult decisions, like the one you will have to make here. First, to address this issue going forward, I propose that you establish an internal policy addressing the reporting requirements for individuals of mixed nationalities. As I had suggested, this is entirely your choice, but being consistent with that choice across the reporting of both the good and the bad is a key element of this policy. Additionally, it might be very helpful to have a written statement on your site apologising for past media biases and accepting your decision to eliminate this in reporting in the future.

I believe your reputable organisation will choose to do right as you are provided this opportunity.

Letter to ITVX in 2024 about media-bias, projecting as inconsistencies in news reporting