Bishop Atoyebi cautions journalists on sensationalism

Catholic Bishop of Ilorin diocese, Most Reverend Ayo-Maria Atoyebi, has called on media Professionals in the country to promote peace, as opposed to falsehood, sloganeering and sensational headlines.

Speaking at the 2018 World Communication Day on the topic, Truth Builds, Fake News Destroys: Be Herald of Peace, at St. Joseph’s Catholic Cathedral, Ilorin, he urged journalists to encourage a practice that was devoted to the service of all, especially the voiceless.

He said: “Journalists are protectors of news. In today’s world, theirs is, in every sense, not just a job; it is a mission. Amid feeding frenzies and the mad rush for a scoop, they must remember that the heart of information is not the speed with which it is reported, or its audience impact, but persons. Informing others means forming others. It means being in touch with people’s lives. That is why ensuring accuracy of sources and protecting communication are real means of promoting goodness, generating trust and opening the way to communion and peace.”

Noting that journalism for peace would help in nation building, he urged government to allow media houses freedom to carry out their functions as the voice of the people.

He also said a weighty responsibility rests on the shoulders of those whose job it was to provide information, adding that the responsibility of how journalists used language, was the answer to the spread of fake news.

Quoiting Pope Francis, Reverend Atoyebi said: “The best antidote to falsehood is not strategies, but people: people who are not greedy but ready to listen; people who make the effort to engage in sincere dialogue so that truth can emerge; people who are attracted by goodness and take responsibility for how they use language.”