Abide by tenets of true journalism – JIFORM President

With the introduction of the new media, almost everyone has been playing the roles of Journalists in different forms.

This development has no doubt contributed to the rising rate of fake news.

As the World celebrates Press Freedom Day, Olaolu Fawole in this report looks at ways to check fake news in the society.

Information is crucial to human existence and everyone needs information or the other for various reasons.

Members of the public are therefore better served with not only adequate information, but the right information.

This informed the reason for this year’s theme of World Press Freedom Day “Information as a Public Good”.

The president, Journalist International Forum for Migration, JIFORM, Mr. Ajibola Abayomi appealed to media professionals to always stay glued to the tenets of journalism. 

Mr Abayomi said the coming of the social media had been promoting fake news with the help of some citizen journalists.

While maintaining that citizen journalism could not be eradicated, Mr Abayomi urged media professionals on the need to encourage citizen journalists to always cross check their facts before publication.

He appealed to media professionals to always upgrade themselves so as to meet up with the challenges of the profession.

Speaking on the theme, Vice President, South West zone of Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, Mr Cosmos Oni enjoined government agencies and corporate organizations to always relate with media establishments directly in the dissemination of their activities. 

Mr Oni called on government to come up with accurate data and information verification systems and other steps to eradicate fake news.

Olaolu Fawole