By Oluwatomisin Amokeoja
The Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Mr. Sunday Dare has urged the media to effectively help in combatting fake news and rescue of the society from the menace.
At a webinar on ‘Gaining Trust for the Media in the Fake News Era’ organized by the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) Knight Fellowship in collaboration with International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR), Dare in his keynote address noted that there’s an urgency to confront the menace of fake news.
“We must all declare war against fake news. We must debunk face news,” Dare stated adding that the media must ensure the public gets useful and truthful information at all times.
The multimedia expert said: “When in doubt don’t print. When in doubt, don’t publish. The role of a journalist as a gatekeeper has become much more important as we live in a world where everyone is now a journalist with access to social media.
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“Once fake news lands on one social media platform, it is almost guaranteed to spread to other platforms with a high frequency. The currency of news is only justified in its factuality.
“Whether online or offline, the rules of good journalism cannot and must not change.
“The society must find a way to crosscheck information before sharing with others. There is a need for caution and certainty before sharing information.”
ICIR Founder and Executive Director, Mr. Dayo Aiyetan, in his opening remarks, explained why it is important for the media to be engaged in the misinformation battle.
He emphasised that information is power anywhere in the world while adding that it enables people to make choices about leadership, choices and participating in governance.
“Misinformation is not only a threat to democracy, but it is also a threat to the media. The media has a role to play in fighting misinformation,” Aiyetan stated.
The media trainer explained that he used to be an advocate for legislation against fake news until he realized that reorientation will prove more effective.
“Fighting misinformation through legislation or clamping down on social media is not the way to go,” he stated.
Award-winning broadcaster and media executive, Ejiro Umukoro who was among the panellists urged journalists to continually give themselves to training in order to evolve and be in line with the globally acceptable practices of the profession.
“It is not enough to attend seminars and workshops on capacity building, endeavour to put the takeaways into practice.
“We must never undermine the importance of personal development,” the trainer added.
Investigative journalist, Mr. Fisayo Soyombo raised an alarm on how the term ‘fake news’ is now commonly used to discredit the work of journalists.
Soyombo cited the backlash he received for his tweets about a COVID-19 death in Ilorin, the capital of Kwara and how it was eventually confirmed to be true leading to the suspension of Prof. Kazeem Salami, a senior consultant at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH), who concealed information about the index case.
He explained that “’ fake news’ can sometimes be like objectivity; it’s in the eyes of the beholder.”
Soyombo in looking at why fake news has recently gained more prominence noted that “it’s a pandemic; nobody wants to die.”
“People want to minimize movement, journalists especially. Sometimes people just want to help. Online news consumption is at an all-time high,” he added.
He urged influencers to never make the mistake of using wrong photos or videos.
“I’m extremely hesitant with sharing photos that do not emanate from me.”
“Before you post or share anything online, ask yourself why. I post with public interest value in mind. Know why you are sending out that tweet. Ask if you trust the source enough. Fullerme.com aggregates the activity of a user. Ask what will happen if you tweet/post. And, most importantly, ask what will happen if you don’t!” Soyombo stated.
The webinar was moderated by an ICFJ Knight Fellow, Mrs. Hannah Ajakaiye who is a multimedia journalist and Chevening Scholar at Sussex University, United Kingdom.
The ICFJ Knight Nigeria led by Mrs. Ajakaiye had in late August announced a programme collaborating with digital influencers: Social Justice Advocate, Mr. Segun Awosanya; Investigative Journalist, Mr. Fisayo Soyombo; Grassroots Campaigner, Mr. Hamzat Lawal; Medical Doctor, Dr. Fidelis Egemba and Activist/Social Critic, Mr. Abdul Mahmud, working with media partners: Africa Check, Dubawa, ICIR and The Cable to fight misinformation.
