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Prof. Lawrence Ezemonye, Vice Chancellor, Igbinedion University Okada (IUO) Edo, on Tuesday acknowledged the role of the traditional media in promoting an egalitarian society devoid of fake news and other social media misinformation.
Ezemonye gave the commendation in Okada during the Annual Public Lecture series of the College of Arts and Social Sciences of the University.
The lecture was titled “Rethinking the social media: Fake News and the Death of the Gatekeeper”.
Ezemonye said the media contributions to nation building could not be over emphasised, describing the topic as not only thought-provoking but apt.
The vice-chancellor maintained that fake news was one of the negative offshoots of development.
“As we move from the dominance of traditional media to the era of new media and the social media with the attendant ‘backgrounding’ of the gatekeeper and proliferation of fake news, Igbinedion University is proud to be at the forefront of providing intellectual platforms to discuss these issues,” Ezemonye said.
He, however, stressed the need for accuracy and fact checking of news information.
He said the world was moving from the traditional mode of knowledge to the digital alternative with great implications for information integrity, education and most importantly, news dissemination and consumption.
“Every year, we have used this occasion of the college lectures to examine topics of national and global significance, to generate ideas for policy direction, make critical interventions in national discourse and set agenda for development in all human endeavour.
“Predicated on the town and gown interface, the lecture is in tandem with the university’s three-fold responsibilities of teaching, research and service to community. ”
The President, Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Chris Isiguzo, said fake news had a long-lasting relationship with social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram where people could spread and mislead millions of users within minutes.
He cautioned journalists never to be tempted into propagating fake news amidst the change in communication patterns and flow due to the advent of multi-media technology.
“Proper and adequate checks must be ensured before stories are written and transmitted for public consumption.
While leaders should be held accountable to the people by the media, criticisms should be done in an objective manner, devoid of any sentiments and bias.
“This is the only way we can help sustain our democracy; distracting leaders from acts of governance through frivolities and malicious deployment of fake news and hate speeches will not auger well for the country.
“We should always remember that while the gatekeeper on social media platforms has died or never even existed, the gatekeeper in traditional media lives on,” he said.
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