By Abayomi Elias
In their effort to curb misinformation and manage some of the risks journalists encounter when reporting, Correspondent Chapel of Nigeria Union of Journalists Lagos Council, sensitised participants and stakeholders to verify their facts before rushing to press.
Newsconnect reports that the theme of year 2025 press week was dubbed ‘Journalism and the Fight Against Misinformation in a Digital Age’.
Comrade Abraham Akpabio, the Chairman Correspondent Chapel of Nigeria Union of Journalist, Lagos State Council said it is imperative for all journalists to come together to address the issue of misinformation to the public.
Akpan told newsmen that as they celebrate the 2025 press week, they had to address the issue that had been of a great concern to media practitioners and the nation at large.
”As practioners, we need to check the facts received from our sources before we publish”.
He said with what we have learnt, the menace of misinformation will be greatly checked in our society.
The Vice Chairman of Nigeria Union of Journalist Lagos State Council Phillip Nwosu in an interview with journalists at the event said if many journalists do their balancing properly, they won’t be getting into trouble and there won’t be misinformation.
He said verifying your facts is important. trying to ensure that what you are reporting is accurate and it is the right thing.
When a crime news is reported to you, call the police PRO for update.
“The Police information sometimes is very accurate, call them to seek clarification and if you can’t do that ,you also need to send reporters to those places to find out if it eventually happened.
“Not to sit down on your apartment and concoct stories on your blog and say it happened. It doesn’t only put you in trouble, it puts the organisation and the entire Nigerian journalism into disrepute.
”Journalists should verify their facts, it may look like the truth, it is only when you verify that you discover that there are some misinformation that needs to be corrected.
”That is what I would advise Nigerian Journalists to always do. Most journalists in Nigeria don’t read these laws. Cybercrime Protection Act, you may have just been hearing it, go back, pick it and read it. Download it, read it and know.
”There are other laws designed not to infringe on other people’s privacy, and that is why I said it is somehow difficult for most people who don’t want to go through the odd to practice journalism in Nigeria.
“If somebody brings a story to you about somebody, then you need to hear from the other person and ensure that what you are reporting is accurate and ensure that you are not maligning anybody or trying to commit the offense of libel in your reportage”.