Media
LAI Mohammed, minister of Information and Culture, has appealed to online publications to join hands with government to fight against fake news in Nigeria. Addressing a press conference in Lagos on Tuesday, July 24, Mohammed told his audience: “A starting point is for you to put a banner on your various platforms that says: SAY NO TO FAKE NEWS! Of course, a platform that abhors fake news will not engage in one.”
He advised: “You must not lend your various platforms to the spread of fake news. Yes, it offers instant gratification. But it doesn’t last. Once your platform is identified as a source of fake news, your credibility is gone. And once you lose your credibility as a news channel, nothing is left.”
According to the minister, some traditional media have already joined the National Campaign Against Fake News, launched in Abuja on Wednesday, July 11, 2018. He gave the names of such media as The Nation, Vanguard and Leadership newspapers as well the Nigeria Television Authority, NTA, the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria, FRCN, and the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN.
Besides, he admonished Nigerians to be weary of the kind of news they pick from the internet. “We are also telling Nigerians to do two simple things: Before sharing that information on Facebook, Twitter or WhatsApp: 1) Ask how credible the source is, and 2) Don’t share any information for which you can’t vouch,” he said.
He added: “The war against fake news is a must-win. As a multi-ethnic, multi-religious nation, Nigeria cannot afford an unbridled spread of fake news. This phenomenon is exploiting our fault lines to aggravate the crises in the country. Of course, you are aware of a recent BBC report that says fake news circulating in the social media is fuelling the farmers-herders crises in Nigeria. Gory pictures from other lands are circulated freely via Facebook, WhatsApp and Twitter, purportedly being from the killings in Benue or Plateau States.
“Let me repeat what I said at the launch of this campaign: The Federal Government will not use coercion or engage in censorship in other to fight the fake news epidemic. We also believe there are enough laws in our books to fight this phenomenon.
“We are, therefore, appealing to you and to all Nigerians to join us in fighting this scourge. Fortunately, we are not alone in this fight. The big technology companies – Google, Facebook, WhatsApp, etc – are deploying resources and technology against the scourge. Nations of the world and international organisations are taking steps against fake news. Global media organisations are not left behind. Let us do our own part in tackling this scourge,” the minister charged.
– Jul. 24, 2018 @ 15:15 GMT |
Tags: Minister seeks support of Online media to tackle fake news
