PROJECT FOCUS: PROBLEM BEING ADDRESSED
As with many countries around the world, Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, has had to contend with the impact of fake news, misinformation, disinformation and malinformation. This reality threatens to overshadow genuine efforts being made for the sustenance of democracy, peace, national unity and development. Fake news has become an epidemic social ailment ravaging all sectors of human interface and eating away the socio-political and economic fabric of Nigeria.
Unfortunately, fake news is a global phenomenon that modern societies have to contend with in this digital age; and fake news means different things to different people. To most people, fake news means fabricated new stories presented without any credible evidence and for the apparent purpose to misinform or to persuade through misinformation. Others use the term to simply describe a news story from a traditional source that contains a mistake or news that seems to contradict their own point of view. The spread of fake news could either be politically or ideologically motivated, or even economically driven, and social media has become a potent tool for the swift dissemination of same.
Audience consumes fake news from a variety of sources, and both the young and old people are susceptible; but particularly susceptible are young people. Fake news comes in different forms that include distorted truth, outright lies, and exaggerated facts etc. The question therefore is why do people believe fake news/ stories and take actions based on unsubstantiated information, or act on recommendations from unauthorized personalities and platforms? The answers are traceable to people seeing “alternative sources of hope” as there are warped flow of skewed, incomplete, distorted or bias information from the gatekeepers. Therefore there is a dire need to ensure that these “alternative sources of hope” are reliable, factual and accurate!
In a multicultural and multi-religious country like Nigeria, the role misinformation plays in causing ethnic, religious and political crises is huge, facts and fictions are often deliberately blurred and spread via social media, and the outcome is increasingly becoming devastating. To reduce the spread of misinformation in Nigeria, the Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy-Nigeria sponsored and flagged-off the capacity enhancement training of media professionals in six (6) contiguous States of Nigeria to countering misinformation. This intervention aims to enhance the professionalism, institutional memory and sustainability of media practice in Nigeria; and reinforce responsible democratic practices, and safeguard the freedom of speech and expression, which are sacrosanct human rights.
CONCLUSION
“Misinformation and disinformation have existed in the world ever since the invention of the printing press some 500 years ago. Today in the 21st century, in Nigeria, in Europe, in America, and across the globe, the public craves for accurate news and information that separates fact from opinion. People want and expect news that is well-sourced and credible and that does not mislead them”
(Adnan Siddiqi, Counsellor for Public Affairs, U.S. Embassy, Abuja)
The above quote captures the expected deliverable of this intervention; which is to equip media professionals with the skills, tools and techniques to provide the public with well-sourced and credible news and information that does not mislead them!
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