Fake news is destructive and must be resisted, Ukiwe tells media practitioners
Posted by FN Editor | 3 years ago | 888 times
The Chairman of Ohafia local government, Dr. Okorafor Ukiwe on Friday, cautioned students and social media practitioners to be wary of the destructive effect of fake news to any society.
The Chairman said this during a media workshop Organized by the student union government of Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike.
The workshop with the theme “the role of media in nation building”, is designed to enhance the potentials and skills of participants.
Ukiwe, represented by his Special Assistant on Media and Communication , Comr. Idika Michael, said the theme of the training was apt and would help to reduce the friction between government and social media practitioners.
He added that it was worrisome that the new media lacked ethical standards as in the conventional media, portraying it as a mill for rumour and fake news.
Continuing, he said that the new media was now vehicle for propaganda and fake news against persons, organisations, institutions and governments.
He charged the students and media practitioners, both in public and private sectors, to go about their duties diligently but with a deep sense of responsibility and patriotism.
“The social media has become vibrant and almost competing with the conventional media, except for the fact that there are no gatekeepers in the social media platforms.
“The ethical standards in conventional media is also absent in social media platforms and this has portrayed the new media, as a battle ground for all kinds of rumours, fake news, half-truths while propaganda are peddled against persons, organisations, institutions and governments.
“There is therefore, the constant need for cross-checking so that social media will earn reasonable reputation like the conventional media,” he said.
The Chairman said that the Gov. Okezie Victor Ikpeazu led administration had taken advantage of the social media to communicate with the people of the state especially the young and upwardly mobile people and has enjoyed tremendous working relationships with members of the press and the students community.
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