How Fake News Can Be Tackled in Nigeria – NIPR

How Fake News Can Be Tackled in Nigeria – NIPR

The President and Chairman of Governing Council of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), Dr. Ike Neliaku has called for a synergy among critical stakeholders to curb spread of fake news in the society.

Speaking on Thursday at the UN House Abuja during the premiere of “When Wolves Cry”, a pan-African movie project that is aimed to address the challenge fake news on the continent, Dr. Neliaku said the multiplicity of platforms through which fake news are shared has made it difficult for a single body to fight it.

“It is no longer for one person or organisation to handle. It is a responsibility that is now before all of us. Fake news has a brother, which is disinformation, it has a sister, misinformation and a cousin, which is propaganda. We must fight all these together with the needed energy and it is everybody’s responsibility to do so at this material point in time”, he stated.

The NIPR boss while cautioning that responsible communication must be deeply imbibed, urged that individuals should avoid utterances that they would not take responsibility for.

While commending the producer/director, Eyaba Emmanuel and his team for embarking on the project, the NIPR boss also called on relevant agencies, including the UNESCO to embark on capacity building for journalists, which will help in curbing the spread of fake news.