The President/Vice-Chancellor of Babcock University, Ilishan-Remo Ademola Tayo, has urged global media practitioners and particularly in Nigeria to save the profession from being “drowned by the cacophony of disinformation.”
Tayo, who is a Professor of Development Education, said this while speaking at a dinner with the members of the Education Writers’ Association of Nigeria recently, according to Premium Times.
EWAN, is a body of journalists who report on issues of education across print, online and broadcast media platforms in the country.
The VC, who described journalism as a noble profession, said responsible journalists must come together to fight fake news, misinformation and disinformation, even as democratisation of the media space through technology has come with its good and bad.
He said, “Journalism is no longer the monopoly of any individual or institution. The choice, preferences and needs of the public are increasingly shaping journalism. The public is not any more a passive recipient of information. In the 21st Century journalism, the public is now a community that plays an important role.
“Nigeria is faced with a number of socio-political and cultural challenges that are exacerbated by fake and inaccurate information, as well as a weak economy. Unfortunately, efforts to promote factual and accurate information necessary for development are hardly achieving the desired results.
“Media practitioners have to be very careful and take seriously the issue of disinformation or fake news, or projecting any information picked from online sources as credible without verification. Otherwise, responsible journalism faces the risk of being drowned out by the cacophony of disinformation.
“Journalists risk being manipulated by actors who go beyond the ethics of public relations and accountability by attempting to mislead or corrupt journalists into spreading disinformation by applying the concept of an anonymous source in news reporting.
“I am worried, and I know that you are worried too, that disinformation could cause misjudgments, unrest, and wrong choices by citizens, particularly when they do not have the media literacy skills to evaluate the content. This could have dire consequences on the nation’s production and consumption levels.
“We must continually equip ourselves with current knowledge and skills needed to conduct accurate election reporting, and be very well aware of our duty to reduce hate speech and incitement to violence that often arise in an election environment.”
