Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), in collaboration with the United Nations (UN), has charged journalists to remain committed ahead of the Ondo State governorship election scheduled for November 16.
CAPPA is a Pan-African organization that advocates for human rights, challenges corporate abuse of our natural resources, and builds community power for inclusive development and participatory governance.
During the pre-electoral lecture session titled Misinformation and Election:” Journalist as Public Educators and Opinion Shapers” held via Zoom on Tuesday, Mr. Robert, the moderator, said the aim of the programme is to shape reportage against misinformation, which is a major problem in Nigeria and the rest of the world.
In an opening remark, Abayomi Sarumi, a representative of CAPPA, enlightened the participants about the role of media in keeping a peaceful atmosphere in Nigeria, especially during election coverage.
Joke Kujenya, the Executive-in-Charge of the Media Mentor Journalism Centre and key speaker of the training, shared insight on the importance of information to journalists, which she described as the lifeblood of a journalist.
Kujenya said, “It encompasses all facts, media, data, and observations. We as journalists rely on investigating, verifying, and reporting stories. This is why the credibility of our information is essential for us to produce accurate, meaningful news at all times.
“We have the ethical obligation to deliver truthful and unbiased reporting on events and issues with the aim to inform and sometimes advocate for the public.”
She enlightened the participants on the need for journalists to interpret information truthfully without losing the actual meaning by ensuring it meets standards of accuracy and relevance while upholding values like transparency and accountability.
The multiple award winner employed participants to put lessons learned into practice as more misinformation is highly recorded presently than ethical and accurate information.
Explaining the actual meaning of misinformation, she said it refers to false and inaccurate information with the intent to decisively leave a lasting negative impact on the receiver, among other forms of misinformation.
Highlighting the effect on receivers, she said it has a major impact on voters behaviour and decision-making by undermining public trust in the media and institutions.
Adding that it creates division in the community at large, she urged the participants to be mindful of the content they share while in the field.
Emphasizing the effect, Kujenya said that according to the Pew Research Centre, 70 percent of Americans believe that misinformation is a major problem during elections, while 50 percent of voters reported encountering false information online.
The media expert noted that the 2016 US presidential election increased the number of fake news, closely observed in the 2021 Nigeria general election.
She urged participant journalists to verify information before sharing to the public, noting that journalists are in hurry to deliver news content to the public reflecting in her past as a young journalist then.
Additionally, she told journalists to be acquainted with Media Literacy (ML) to avoid misinformation, stressing the importance of being enlightened with the enablement to detect malicious content.
While speaking, she acknowledged that ML is an empowerment tools aim to build a conducive atmosphere, stating the key roles journalists played during election, especially the forthcoming Ondo State election.
The key speaker charges journalists who will be covering the election to be neutral and objective and to avoid disclosing results without the approval of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) during the course of their duties in the election.
“Journalists play a key role in countering false claims by clarifying INEC official communication channels and emphasizing the need to rely on verified information, the veteran journalist,” Kujenya said.
Kujenya appealed to media houses to remain vigilant in verifying malicious content and claims by integrating fact-checking and employing verifying tools such as DUBAWA.
Also noting the key areas to put into consideration while covering elections, such as understanding their local issues and regional concerns (unemployment, agriculture, and education), aim to drive voters interest.
“Ondo elections are also closely monitored and involve competitive, racist, and high-stakes local and national politics, drawing attention from both the public and the media.”
Commending journalists for their efforts, she said, “Nigerian journalists have acted as essential watchdogs, helping to maintain electoral integrity and educate the public on verified information, thereby shaping a more informed and resilient electorate. However, there is room for us to do more, especially in this information overload period where the internet has made everything porous.”
She appreciated the organizer in holding this impactful session with reputable journalists to combat misinformation and malicious content.
In attendance were about 45 participants present during the programme.
Mr. Lanre Arogundade, a renowned journalist, emphasized the need to hold stakeholders accountable for any violence, alleging them to be involved.
“Every other election holder must be held accountable as far as this election is concerned, and that is the only way we can make progress,” Arogundade noted.
