OPAN Frown at Dissemination of Fake News

Published

6 years ago

February 7, 2018

The Online Publishers Association of Nigeria (OPAN) has expressed concern over the dissemination of fake news by some practitioners in the new media.

Mr Austyn Ogannah, OPAN’s president expressed this concern at the annual conference of the association in Lagos, on Tuesday.

He described the practice as unethical and unacceptable, saying that it threatens the peace and stability of the society.

Oganna said that the penchant of some practitioners to unethically dish out fake and malicious news just to draw traffic was eroding the credibility of the new media.

He described the new media as the future of journalism in view of its potential to reach more readers and stimulate development.

Oganna however said if the new media must realise its potential of influencing decisions and promoting development, the issue of fake news must be addressed.

“The issue of dissemination of fake news in the new media is creating a lot of credibility issue and we are deeply concerned.

“Though there are so many online publishers doing the right thing, the democratisation of the new media space has thrown up those who are not adhering to the ethics

“We need to deal with the issue. We need to entrench credibility in our practice. OPAN will continue to pursue efforts to address the issue,” he said.

Ogannah said it would be difficult to police or regulate the new media because of its open and liberal nature.

He, however, said OPAN would engage all its members on the need to shun fake news and operate by the ethics.

He said the conference was part of efforts to highlight the conversation to promote credibility in the new media.

According to him, OPAN, through exchange of ideas and mentorship from the leading lights in the industry, hoped to address the problem.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that a panel of media experts spoke on the ways the new media could restore its credibility.

One of the panelists, spokesman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, noted that the new media was critical to the development of democracy.

He said that for the new media to live to its responsibilities, it must be self-regulated to address blackmail and fake news.

Abdullahi said the regulation of the social media should not be done to the extent of emasculating the media space.

“We should strike a balance between regulation of the new media and emasculation

of the space.

“The issue of fake news is dangerous. There should be a check so that people cannot just come to the space and dish out what could hurt the society.

“In some countries, you can’t just come online and post things that are not pleasant or untrue. You will be tracked.

“Also, in China, there are some websites you cannot open as a matter of regulation.

“The credibility of the new media is very important to the stability of the society and survival of democracy,” he said.

He urged media practitioners not to colour their reports with religious and ethnic sentiments in view of the dangers it might pose to the society.

Another panelist, Mr Kolawole Ologbodiyan, the National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) said he was opposed to the regulation of the social media.

He said the new media was one of the best things to have happened to democracy, as it widens access to information and promotes free speech.

Ologbodiyan, however, urged users and players in the new media industry to always verify information before sending or sharing them out.

He said the Freedom of Information (FOI) was one of the legacies of the PDP-led government, to empower the media and citizens on accountability in government.

Ologbodiyan, however, frowned at the poor use of the Act to ask questions from government, urging the media to rise up to the occasion.

“The media should rise to the occasion and use the FOI tool to promote good governance,” he said.

The founder of Premium Times, Mr Dapo Olorunyomi, said remuneration of staff was key to ensuring credibility of the media.

He said if reporters are not paid their salaries, they might compromise ethics and truth in their work. (NAN)

Source News Express

Ekiti Students Caught On Camera Bullying A Fellow Student, Have Been Expelled

Published

17 hours ago

May 8, 2024

Alice Ginika Simon

The management of Bamidele Olumilua University of Education, Science and Technology, Ikere-Ekiti (BOUESTI) has expelled two of its students filmed assaulting a female colleague.

A video recently went viral on social media of a student hitting her fellow student with a stick that was handed to her by another student. The bully had kept insinuating that she would draw blood from her victim.

Reacting to the incident, the Public Relations Officer of the institution, Temitope Akinbisoye, in a statement released, said the students caught in the video were summoned on Monday, May 6 and were meted the appropriate punishment for their actions

”In accordance with our institution’s policies and extant regulations, the students who were captured in the viral video appeared before the Students’ Disciplinary Committee at its emergency meeting held on Monday, May 6, 2024, for interrogations and appropriate recommendations, the report of which has been submitted to the University authorities.

The University authorities condemn in strong terms, any form of violence or misconduct in our University or by any of our constituents. Such behaviour is entirely inconsistent with the values we uphold and the standards of respect and dignity that we expect from all members of our University.

Miss Opemiposi Precious BOLAJI with Matriculation No. 10232, a 100L Mass Communication student who was beating her colleague with a stick and threatening to inflict bodily harm on her for allegedly destroying her 3-year old love affair with her boyfriend was found guilty of misconduct and flagrant breach of her matriculation oath and consequently EXPELLED with immediate effect.

Miss Genesis OSARO, a 100L Mass Communication student with Matriculation No. 10257, who provided the stick with which Gloria AJAYI was beaten, was found guilty of misconduct (as an accomplice) and flagrant breach of her Matriculation oath and consequently EXPELLED with immediate effect.

Miss Gloria AJAYI, a 100L Mass Communication student with Matriculation No. 10295, who was seen being beaten in the viral video but did not retaliate or engage in fisticuffs with her tormentors, was EXONERATED.“

News

“80% Of Buildings In Lekki Have No Approval” – Lagos State Commissioner For Physical Planning & Urban Development Reveals

Published

3 days ago

May 6, 2024

Alice Ginika Simon

The Lagos State Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Dr Oluyinka Olumide, has stated that 80 per cent of buildings in Ibeju Lekki have no approval.

Olumide disclosed this while speaking to newsmen recently.

In his words; “Just last week Thursday and Friday, myself and the team were in the Ibeju Lekki and Epe axis and you would agree with me that anybody passing through that corridor would see a lot of estates marked. We went there, and I can tell you that from what we saw, over 80 per cent of them do not have approval.

The procedure to get approval is first to get the planning information, as to what those areas have been zoned for. In this case, what we have is agricultural land, and people now go to their families to buy agricultural land. Of course, those lands would be sold because those families do not know the use such land would be put to.

The next thing to do is the fence permit. If you missed the earlier information on not knowing the area zoning, at the point of getting the fence permit, you would be able to detect what the area is zoned for. After that, the layout permits a large expense of land follows.”’

Olumide noted that a layout permit cannot be obtained if it is not zoned for the purpose it was designed for or for the purpose it was being requested.

“So, you can see all these layers, but people still go ahead to start advertising. Some have even gone to the extent of displaying the sizes they want to sell. Imagine someone in the diaspora who wants to send money without any knowledge. Then, no approval is eventually gotten. Even if they pass the assignment and the survey to them, we would not grant the individual permit, because that area is not zoned for that purpose’’ Olumide said

This partly explains why some of the houses are being turn down currently in the state.

News

Lady Dies After Friends Pushed Her Into Boiling Pot Of Fresh Pepper In Delta State

Published

5 days ago

May 4, 2024

Alice Ginika Simon

A Nigerian man identified as Israel Joe, has revealed how his friend, Roseline, died after she was pushed into a boiling pot of fresh pepper and tomatoes by her two female friends in Sapele, Delta State.

Joe stated that Roseline, a caterer, went on a trip with her friends to Sapele for a catering job where the bitter ordeal occured.

She tragically passed away on Saturday, April 13 after spending two weeks at the hospital in a very horrible state.

In a Facebook post on Friday, Joe said that before her untimely death, Roseline confided in him about two of her friends who were treating her coldly.
And he has vowed to bring them to justice.