News

CEMESO Boosts Media’s Capacity To Combat Misinformation,Disinformation

By Web News 426

By Olaitan Oye-Adeitan

Prompt publication and reportage of accurate and ethically verifiable stories is crucial in stemming the tide of misinformation and disinformation flooding social media.

The Executive Director, of the Centre for Media and Society, CEMESO, Dr Akin Akingbulu made the assertion at a virtual meeting held for media professionals and relevant stakeholders on “Networking and Dialogues on Misinformation and Disinformation Issues”.

Dr Akingbulu explained that the meeting was part of the European Union’s intervention to build the capacity of the media and broadcast regulators to confront the bug of misinformation and disinformation towards a stronger and more robust democracy in Nigeria.

The CEMESO Director described false narratives as threats to national peace and progress.

He said misinformation and disinformation were also capable of exacerbating and delegitimising electoral processes., “It holds a significant threat to the fabric of the society sowing discord and inciting violence, jeopardizing peace and encouraging diminished public participation in electoral processes”.

According to him, CEMESO has trained over 200 journalists to empower the media and the public with credible information”.

He therefore called for deliberate efforts by the media to strengthen the resilience of democratic society by changing the ugly narrative.

The Programme Manager, CEMESO, Mr Timothy Bamidele listed the six thematic areas the EU intervention programme covered including improving the quality of electoral administration in Nigeria, Combating hate speech and misinformation, as well as providing support to political parties, electoral body, media, women youths and the marginalized groups.

Mr.Bamidele however observed that the media did not always provide fair coverage of elections.” This is to ensure that journalists are well trained to perform optimally”.

Mr Bamidele wants the National Broadcasting Commission, NBC, to ensure that it lived up to its mandate of regulating activities of the media.

In a remark, a representative of the INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner in Ondo State, Dr Tope Akanmu, said the damaging effect of misinformation and information was not only felt in politics and electoral processes but in all aspects of human life.

He called for concerted efforts by the media to increase their production of timely and correct information.

Also, in a message to the meeting, President of the International Press Council, IPC, Mr. Lanre Arogundade was optimistic that the forum would have a positive impact on information dissemination.

Contributions from participants were pointers to the fact that the media must really wake up to its responsibility of presenting unbiased information by digging deeper into issues and being empowered with the right tools to fact-check stories before being published.

It would be recalled that the Centre For Media and Society, CEMESO had been holding a series of trainings for the media and other key players in line with the European Union’s agenda of building sustainable democracy in Nigeria among other pertinent goals.

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Politics

IMS Sets Tone for Good Governance, Women Journalists Brace Up for Elections

By Web News 601

BY OLAITAN OYE-ADEITAN

It’s a defining moment in the history of Nigeria as citizens anticipate who their next leaders would be in the next four years.

But one thing appears paramount, a desired change in all spheres of economic life which requires active voices.

One of the initiatives put in place by the Institute for Media and Society, IMS in achieving this goal is to build the capacity of female Journalists, especially in digital multimedia storytelling skills to be able to participate effectively in the coverage of electoral processes.

Cross Section of Participants

Hence the workshop organised by IMS for female journalists in Nigeria as explained by the Executive Director, IMS, Dr Akin Akingbulu  “We have seen from our engagement and research that women journalists have not been participating as actively as they should in the coverage of the electoral process. One of the reasons behind it is that they also do not have sufficient skills, especially in the digital era that is essential in the coverage of the electoral process”, Dr Akingbulu said.

  • IMS Executive Director, Dr Akin Akingbulu

Dr Akingbulu pointed out that enhanced capacity would produce enhanced professionalism.

Project Manager, IMS, Mr Timothy Bamidele explained that the programme was to ensure inclusive, pluralistic and all stakeholders participatory democracy as the 2023 elections draw nearer.

  • IMS Project Manager, Mr Timothy Bamidele

“This is in fulfilment of the European Union’s vision in ensuring that good governance is entrenched in Nigerian.

One of the overall objectives is to deepen inclusion, especially for groups whose voices have not been amplified. Women, youths have been captured so that in all areas of professional development, women should be able to have the voice and contribute their own quota to national development”, Mr Bamidele added.

Participants were taken through impactful and engaging training sessions on digital multimedia storytelling by versatile facilitators, Ehi Ohiani and Cyril Usifo.

Technical Sessions With Ehi

  • Facilitator, Ehi Ohiani

Listening to this tall fair in complexion lady was really captivating.

She combines beauty with brains, dishing out digital methods of telling the public stories in a more interesting manner that would help them to make informed decisions, keep the government on their toes and engender positive change in Nigeria.

Mrs Ehi equally demonstrated ways of handling facilities such as the camera to have excellent images while stressing the need for journalists to uphold integrity in all they do.

Time With Cyril

  • Facilitator. Cyril Osifo

Technical Sessions with Cyril were quite illuminating and interesting.

With the practical demonstration, he opened the eyes of the female journalists to various social media and publishing tools that would assist them in their productions.

Cyril Usifo hammered on the need for women to extend their passion to creating content that would meet the core needs of the audience.

Mr Network

Mr Network was one character some participants could not wait to lay ambush for as it kept evading being caught during an aspect of the workshop.

Participants however attested to the fact that the training would spur them to make significant impacts in their profession.

Olaitan Oye-Adeitan

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Politics

Be wary of fake news, be fact checkers – Communication Experts

By Web News 1319

A Communication Expert, Professor Olunifesi Suraj has urged professionals in the media industry to be suspicious of fake news and be skeptical as they discharge their duties in the coverage of the forthcoming general elections.

Professor Suraj, who is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Mass Communication, University of Lagos, made the call in Asaba, Delta State, during a lecture at the workshop on capacity building and best practices on misinformation and disinformation organized by the Institute for Media and Society, IMS, in collaboration with the European Union, EU.

Professor Suraj who maintained that the manipulative impact of social media on public opinions remained a threat to democracy said journalists must verify information from multiple sources and be conversant with media and information literacy skills for accurate reportage.

Also, the Programme Manager of IMS, Mr Timothy Bamidele stressed the need for journalists to be fact-checkers and makes use of various secured internet search engines to spot fake news and authenticate news stories.

In a remark, the National President, the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists, NAWOJ, Mrs Ladi Bala urged journalists to remain neutral during this electioneering period and support activities that would enhance the successful conduct of the 2023 elections. 

Earlier, the Executive Director of IMS, Dr Akin Akingbulu had identified fake news, misinformation and disinformation as major challenges to the electoral process and urged journalists to be accurate, fair, ethical and promote inclusiveness while covering the different stages of the electoral process.

Bolanle Adesida

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