NUJ Advocates Clear Cut Law On Fake News

NUJ Advocates Clear Cut Law On Fake News

Zainab Tanimu

Kaduna, North – West, Nigeria

The Nigeria Union of Journalists has called for the enactment of a clear cut law on fake news that will be in consonance with the magnitude of the menace.

This was contained in a communiqué issued and signed by the Vice President

Northwest Zone, Comrade Yusuf Idris

at the end of the one-day Roundtable/zonal meeting organised by the NUJ Northwest Zone in collaboration with Kaduna State Council on Fake News, Governance and Society in Kaduna on Saturday April 10th, 2021

At the event it was agreed that Fake News is a social problem threatening the public’s ability to trust legitimate press outlets and ultimately the ability of the press to serve its role in preserving our democracy.

Hence, the Roundtable resolves as follows:

The Communiqué

1. The meeting observed that fake news has negative impact on the society, as it creates enmity, conflicts, tension, crisis and war.

2. That the laws of defamation, libel and tort should be strengthened to meet present day realities.

3. Clear cut laws on fake news should be enacted in consonance with the magnitude of the menace.

4. That stakeholders in the media industry including Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Guild of Editors (GE), Nigeria Press Council (NPC) should be fully involved in the formulation of such bills.

5. That Social Media influencers should be trained on basic tenets of journalism to check their excesses and regulate their activities in line with media practice.

6. Mechanisms should put in place for Social Media platforms to regulate the usage of fake news or unverified information in their domain.

7. That all practicing journalists should guard against sharing of unverified reports in both traditional and social media.

8. That the aggressive approach used by government in tackling the Covid-19 pandemic should be employed in checkmating infodemic.

Communique Drafting Committee.

Comrade Abass Ibrahim Chairman

Alhaji Tijjani Tajudeen Ajibade

Noah Ebije and

AbdulRaheem Aodu Secretary.