Experts task media to strengthen fight against fake news
By Philip Clement
Nigerian media practitioners have been urged to strengthen the fight against fake news which has now become the order of the day.
They believe that if left unchecked, it is capable of threatening the foundations of the country’s democracy, undermining individuals’ right as well as increasing social polarization.
A cross section of professionals including veteran journalists, engineers, policy makers among others made the call at the 4th Open Forum on Agricultural Biotechnology (OFAB) Nigeria media awards which held in Abuja, asserting that fake news is destructive and should be avoided.
Mr. Francis Nwosu, Executive Secretary, Nigerian Press Council in a paper at the event posited that: “Fake news is rustled up by individuals or groups to deceive the public, cause ill feelings, influence people’s views, push political agendas, cause disaffection or confusion for specific government policy, or disparage or malign a person’s character.
It is indeed written and published with the intent to mislead in order to damage an entity, agency, person, and/or gain financially or politically, using sensationalist, dishonest, or outright fabricated headlines to increase readership.”
According to Nwosu in a paper entitled ‘Fake News: Why Science journalists must stay with the science’ said fake news is both anti-ethical to journalism profession and injurious to the polity.
“A cursory look at our polity will portray one at the mercy of fake news. Like in some other climes, the issue of fake news has become a serious challenge in our country.
A school of thought had postulated that there has always been fake news. The difference today is that social media platforms have enabled fake news to spread widely and more quickly than ever before.
While social media is the biggest source of fake news, the media gives prominence to it through publication of fictitious stories.
“As science journalists, staying with science places you in a vantage position as specialised journalists.
The public must trust that your information is correct – you must be rigorous, not necessarily the first to publish a story.
You must double check your facts and present fact in layman’s terms as much as possible.
“You must continue to help in rebooting science journalism in an age of the internet and ensure that science journalism and science journalists will continue to survive in the new media ecosystem,” he added.
The Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu in his remarks called on science journalists to avoid fake news and focus on factual news that promote the deployment of technology in agriculture as we strategize on how to feed our teeming population in this COVID-19 Pandemic era.
He said biotechnological tools such as genetic engineering are assisting many countries of the world to address some of the challenges facing their agriculture.
He further challenged the media to remain focused “while it is believed that the media has earned for itself a pride of place in the minds of the common man over the years, I strongly advise that this be maintained”.
Earlier in her address, Dr. Rose Maxwell Gidado, Country Coordinator, Open Forum On Agricultural Biotechnology (OFAB) in Africa, Nigeria Chapter, said Journalists to be recognized have made frantic efforts in humanizing science and bringing it to the people for sustainable development in communities and the country at large.
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“It has never been more important that we recognize the work of journalists in science reporting than it is today as false information is increasingly being spread to undermine the big role science plays in solving our present-day challenges including COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, food insecurity., among others.”
“Journalists serve as a bridge between science and society; they play a crucial role in informing and educating the public and policymakers on advances in science and technology including agricultural biotechnology,” Dr. Gidado added.
