Fake news: Stakeholders activate awareness campaign in Kano

BASHIR MOHAMMED writes that last week in Kano, stakeholders took steps to address the trending fake news in the state by reviewing their awareness campaign with a focus to changing its negative impacts
Advent of the Digital Age The resurgence of social media with the advent of the digital age has opened the floodgate for information to be disseminated on social media platforms without taking into cognizance the fact that every piece of information spread to the public must be vetted and carefully scrutinized.
Unlike in the conventional media practice, those taking solace in disseminating information to the public in form of high profile scoop or breaking news had inflicted a serious damage on the psychology of those craving for authenticated and credible stories that would make them to have a graphic account of what is happening in the corridors of power in the present democratic dispensation in the country.
Social Media platforms according to Robin Houston of the Brookings Institution, a Washington based political think-tank had greatly changed the perception of those who solely relied on conventional media for news and tainted the resolve of such media outlets dishing out stories that were censored and on the basis of credibility and merit and in line with the norms of standard and acceptable practice.
Unimaginable Destructive Consequences It was however Houston’s contention that the resurgence of anonymous social media outfits had exacerbated myriad of conflicts with unimaginable destructive consequences as it is being used to spread false romour and destructive propaganda, leading to serious bloodshed, to some extent, causing enmity and disaffection between nations, which had proved difficult to be resolved even with the application of diplomatic solutions.
Many nations across the globe were on a collision course, simply because the social media had created a negative impression that had made millions of people to hate each other on the basis of creed, race, religion or tribal affiliations, simply because of the mistrust between each other.
Nigeria is being widely acclaimed to have accepted the vogue and made the business of spreading news and information via the social media platform that cannot be verified on censored on the basis of merit and credibility since the sources cannot be traced for such credibility to be ensured and accepted by the platforms gullible audience.
It was however the contention of renowned media gurus across the country that the credibility of conventional media establishments in the country still remain credible, considering the fact that every piece of information about certain personality on those calling the shots in the corridors of power must be carefully vetted to avoid impugning the reputation of such personalities.
Character Assassination Character assassination or damage on one’s reputation in the conventional media is often challenged in courts and failure to prove a certain claim or allegation of wrong doing or an act of malfeasance makes the media establishment involved in such a professional faux pas to pay a heavy price as a result of such a grave professional misconduct.
With the destructive effect of fake news online taking a disastrous toll on the perception of those glued to such anonymous Social Media Social Media Platforms, the Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD), had recently conducted a painstaking research on the danger of fake news on social media and bared its mind on the findings which led to the conclusion that fake news on social media platforms are utterly responsible for the present genocide taking place in some parts of the country, taking the crisis in Jos as a case in point.
Information Based on Sentiments and Selfish Agenda Addressing a press conference at the CITAD Headquarters in Kano, CITAD hate speech project coordinator, Malam Hamza Ibrahim told anyone who cared to listen that sentiments and selfish agenda have given people the momentum to become information givers, while recklessness has encouraged some people to use technology for evil machinations, as they manufacture and concoct lies and disseminate on websites groups and Facebook He said the repercussions of fake updates was that when people read them, they become emotional and sometimes react violently adding that various press statements on the crisis in Jos carried strange name of signatories and associations of certain people, making provocative remarks on the crisis and setting conditions or making demands.
He however stated that another aspect of the danger are emerging websites that tag themselves online newspapers, whose ultimate goal is to bring into collision one ethnic or religious group against the other through uploading violence sparking pieces.
Religious and Tribal Backgrounds He said: “we have over the last one year monitored how the use of fake images of news especially in the Social Media impacted negatively on mutual coexistence and respect between people of different religious and tribal backgrounds.
It is sad many people are falling into the traps of such publications, whose aim is to divide the country”.
“Concrete action ought to be taken to curtail it.
There are undoubtedly millions of Nigerians on different Social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, because the sites and web pages make it easy for people to post contents” he added.
“We want use this medium to draw the attention of all and sundry on this unfortunate practice and strongly add that stakeholders and especially the government at different levels and the media need to rise against it,” he affirmed.
CITAD riot act was however interpreted in social media circles as a wakeup call to those feeding on the carrion of tragedy by inflaming passion and fueling tension to cause conflagration in the country at the time when the security of the nation is almost on the precipice, accentuated by the innate desire if some retrogressive elements, hellbent on fanning the embers of acrimony and bad blood.
Critics Speak Reacting to CITAD findings on the implication of fake news on social media as it relates to the issue of precipitating chaos and anarchy in some major flashpoints in the country, was a renowned social media pundit, Malam Rabiu Abba Fagge, who took a swipe at the antics of those who abused the resurgence of social media platforms in the much pronounced digital age.
According to him, many users of social media platforms, have thrown caution to the wind by way of posting inflammatory and destructive hate speech which further aggravate tension and overheat the political space of the country at the expense of millions of peace-loving citizens of the country.
He said, “fake images and fake news on social media platforms has become a great cause for serious concern in the country.
It is high time for security agencies in the country to rise to the challenge of stemming the proliferation of anonymous social media platforms which credibility and authenticity is doubtful.
We need to wage a serious war against the perpetrators of such a heinous crime”.
“The antics of users of various social media platforms are highly disturbing and boggling the minds of those who believed with the fact that Nigeria’s unity is sacrosanct and not negotiable in any form.
with the nation’s security agencies on a constant trail of the social media kingpins promoting hate speech, I am pretty confident that we are close to bridging the gap of enmity created by agents of criminal banditry” he stressed.
He called on those lavishly using social media platforms for selfish and parochial aims to desist from the dubious attitude, seeking to put the nation on a collision course pointing out that it is only with peace tranquillity and harmony that the quest for attaining greatness by Nigeria being an influential super power in Africa, could reach fruition.
Speaking in the same vein, a renowned social media activist, Malam Aminu Idriss Fagge, said there is the compelling need, for the federal government to enact an edict in order to pave the way for taking punitive legal steps against those found to be propounding hate speech for their own selfish interest adding that using the privilege brought about by the advent of the digital age is ill-advised.
It was however the contention of pundits and notable activists in the social media business that unless and until the menace of abusing the privilege is put in check, the security of the nation would remain in jeopardy and that the spate of the internecine conflicts taking a cataclysmic toll on the country would ever remain to rear its ugly head.