By JKNewsMedia
AHEAD OF the Ondo State governorship bye-elections on Saturday, November 16, 2024, media and civil society experts have called on journalists to play a pivotal role in fighting misinformation.
The charge came during a November 13 webinar titled “Misinformation and Elections: Journalists, Public Educators, and Opinion Shapers,” organized by Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) with support from the European Union’s Democratic Governance in Nigeria initiative (EU SDGN) II.
Akinbode Oluwafemi, CAPPA’s Executive Director, emphasized the media’s duty to report verified facts, noting, “The public looks to the media for accurate information and balanced perception.
“It’s crucial for journalists to promote peace over violence.” He urged journalists to prioritize both factual reporting and personal safety.
Ms. Joke Kujenya, Executive-in-Charge of Media Mentors Journalism Centre (MMJC) discussed the distinctions between misinformation and disinformation, underlining the importance of media literacy and journalists’ responsibility to verify and critically assess information before reporting.
She advised collaboration with fact-checking bodies such as Dubawa, FactCheck, Snopes, Poynter, as well as vigilance in monitoring social media, particularly platforms like Facebook and WhatsApp where unverified narratives often emerge.
The webinar, hosted by CAPPA, in collaboration with the European Union Support for Democratic Governance in Nigeria (EU SDGN) II, reiterates efforts to foster nonviolent elections and strengthen public education against misinformation in Nigeria.
The Pan-African organization, CAPPA, is focused on advancing human rights, addressing corporate exploitation of natural resources, and empowering communities for inclusive development and governance.
Executive Director of the International Press Centre (IPC, Lanre Arogundade, also reminded journalists of conflict-sensitive reporting as essential to peaceful elections.
He highlighted that 18 political parties in Ondo had signed a peace accord and noted the deployment of 41,000 security personnel for public safety, stressing that journalists should prioritize their own security on election day.
