News used to be defined as a true report of an event. Not anymore with many false publications on various online platforms to mislead the public.
Indiscriminate publication of fake news has become a major issue requiring urgent solutions.
Rhoda Oluwatosin interviewed a cross-section of experienced journalists on what can be done to stop the worrisome trend that has further lowered the level of trust in media reports. The responses are as follows:
Media managers should penalise staff
I think sanctions by the management of the media organizations are something to consider; it is more difficult to control fake news on social media, but by individual organizations, stern approach to it will deter others from indulging. I also think it is necessary to train all gatekeepers on fact-checking.
Christiana Oluyinka Fadare NAN
NUJ should ensure Legislation against fake news
Nigerians need to be enlightened about the need to focus on authentic news medium and not just anything dropped on line. The NUJ should work with more commitment with the National Assembly to ensure legislation is firmed up against fake news. The NUJ should blow the whistle for sanctions to be carried against offenders
Jacqueline Ogoh, TV Continental
Avoid sensational headlines
To stop fake news in the media, journalists need to ensure the sensational headlines are avoided because the Nigerian audience are headline readers. An example is a story that shook the nation with the headline ‘Nigerian youths are lazy-Buhari’. The president said most Nigerian youths are lazy and that does not capture ‘every’ like the headline later claimed.
Information should be double verified before publishing.
Ensure online sources are verifiable.
David Lawal, Media Officer at the Centre for Communication and Social Impact
Get the source of information
The publication of fake news in the media is worrisome; sometimes its impact on genuine news is bad. However, journalists must do their best to ensure that fake news does not get published in the media by making every effort to get the source of such information.
Thank God for the availability of fact-checking, it can be used likewise to ascertain the truth of any report. But the bulk still stops at the table of every journalist to stop the spread of fake news in the media. We should also always put aside every sentiment when it has to do with political differences in our reports too because not doing this also is a big factor in spreading fake news.
Adeyanju Uwala, Freelance journalist
Critically analyse stories and understand trends
As journalists, we need to be first passionate about issues especially political, religious and ethnic. A conscious effort should be made to critically analyse stories and understand trends to know what a fake story might be and do not report it whenever it surfaces.
Harisson Edobor, Freelancer.
Sites must be verified
Everyone running a media organization must be verified. A site needs more than 60 points to be rated with a green check for ‘trustworthy’, meaning that it ‘generally maintains basic standards of accuracy and accountability’. Sites that don’t meet that level are given a red exclamation point to signify that they’re unreliable.
If every site owner gets verified and every media house has a database, they will be more careful about what they publish. There should be a body controlling the internet space.
Ovie Clement, Pidgin Radio
Report authentic news
What journalists could do is to continue to report authentic news. It is only the legislature that can adequately curb this scourge through a formidable law that will compel people to obey the policy put in place to stop it. That is why in some developed countries, mostly communist countries, news cannot just fly anyhow. It must have gone through many processes before it can go viral. You may call it news gagging but in one way or the other, they have effectively checked the menace of fake news.
Alawiye Abeeb, Journalist, IT Admin. Newdawnngr.com
Journalists should verify and fact check
I think there must be concerted efforts by everybody, the media practitioners, the public, policy makers, politicians and government officials. Journalists should verify information and fact check before publishing any story especially controversial issues that could lead to a crisis in the society.
Government officials, politicians, and other players should also endeavour to give out correct and accurate information to journalists because it’s the information at their disposal that they will report. When we are socially responsible as people and not hide the truth from the citizens, fake news will be minimal.
Funmi Falobi, Editor, Social Development News
Prosecute publishers of fake news
You can look at it from the point of the Nigerian Union of Journalists. As a matter of fact, it should look out for journalists/people who write fake news and take measures to prosecute them. If such journalists spreading fake news spends money about 2-3 times, nobody will tell them to stop the spread of fake news.
It’s somehow difficult to stop fake news because of most people who write fake news have the intention of pulling traffic, but if they know they have to suffer some repercussion writing fake news, they will not go ahead to publish any fake story.
On the social media, those spreading fake news can be tracked and prosecuted. Service providers should identify the fake news medium that is spreading the fake news and disallow them from posting\blacklist the site.
Gbenga Osinaike Editor –in Chief, Church Times Newspaper
Journalists should quickly cross-check
Journalists in the traditional media can do something easier by having a meeting like journalists’ forum- sit and discuss why there is a need to spread original news materials. Every journalist is already trained. It is not the case that a journalist doesn’t know what to do, but the journalist is just doing something else which is not proper.
Social media is for everyone, it just like you’re on the street and you’re trying to stop people from spreading rumours. There hasn’t been any major social media policing. I think we should bring our legal and judiciary to social media. Fake news diffuses very quickly. Once the real news appears, the fake news dies away. The moment news material comes up, every journalist should quickly cross-check it, if it’s real they can keep it. Otherwise, they should quickly debunk it. Let journalists begin to debunk every fake news whenever they see it in the media that will help to stop the spread of fake news.
Shephard Godsbaby, Radio Lagos