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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