As the country continues to record high internet penetration, with its attendant access to social media platforms, journalists have been warned of the dangers fake news can pose to the media profession in Nigeria.
Leading telecommunications service provider, 9mobile, therefore urge journalists to, at all times, identify elements of fake news as well as their sources.
Speaking at a virtual capacity-building session for media practitioners, Executive Director of Regulatory and Corporate Affairs at 9mobile, Abdulrahman Ado, charge newsmen to ask critical questions, that will help them uncover fake news and separate the truth from mistruths.
Ado who was represented by 9mobile PR lead, Chineze Amanfo, while highlighting the importance of the themes, Fake News: Uncovering the truth” said, “Fake news is something that has become rampant in these times, making it more crucial to ask the question, how do we uncover fake news and separate the truth from mistruths? We are pleased that the facilitators for this training have the pedigree and experience to point us towards the right answers.”
Amanfo noted that the knowledge imparted to the participants would equip them with relevant skills to improve their work process and make them more efficient in their assignments.
In his presentation, veteran journalists and Political Analyst, Kayode Ladeinde, highlighted the negative impact of fake news on society, urging media practitioners to be guided by the principles of the profession.
He said, “Breaking news remains an essential ingredient in the journalism business; a misleading piece of news can cause a big damage and ultimately break the brand you may have worked hard to build.”
He added that, “Some platforms to verify fake news include ‘About this Result’, ‘Fact Check Search item’, and ‘Google Reverse Image Search. The easiest way to identify fake news is to subject the news headline or its keywords to Google search verification.
The training which drew newsmen from both the print and electronic media also had the theme, Storytelling: Embracing features in new media which was facilitated by Digital Strategist, Adeoye-Wilson Kupolati.