No law restricts security agents from prosecuting publishers of fake news

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Mogaji Wole Arisekola, the publisher of Street Journal magazine and President of the Association of Online Media Practitioners of Nigeria (AMPON) has cautioned publishers of fake news in Nigeria to desist from the illegal act adding there is no law restricting security agents from prosecuting any individual who crossed the line.

Arisekola in a chat with some journalists on Friday at the Eko Hotel, Victoria Island before going for his Jumat service reiterated that Nigerian journalists should not be acting as if they are still in the era of imperial colonialism or fighting the unpopular apartheid regime.

He said: “I have said it at different fora and I will continue to maintain that the fake news phenomenon is a serious scourge that must be fought headlong in Nigeria and stakeholders need to help in changing the narrative. More importantly, I equally urge the government through its law enforcement agencies to bring the purveyors of fake news to justice. The media space must be rid of irresponsible journalism and social media must also be sanitized to pave the way for decency and propriety.

“Gone are the days where someone will hide behind the computer or his or her smart phones and will be misleading the public with all manners of information that are not only untrue or fake but very damaging, repugnant or capable of causing unrest or setting the country on fire, there are technologies now that can track any purveyor of fake news wherever they are. People with negative energy aren’t fit to practice journalism. Journalists must be balanced in their reportage, they must be investigative, thorough, unbiased and must also be an ambassador of truth which is very sacred.

“Meanwhile, newsmakers should as well be guided that there is no law restricting security agents from prosecuting any individual who crossed the line, particularly those fielding the public with lies, deceptions and misinformation. Journalists should also stop acting as if they are still in the era of imperial colonialism or fighting the unpopular apartheid regime. They must be socially responsible while upholding the principles of ethical practice.

“This is what I always tell every social media influencer, content maker, news publisher and also members of AMPON whom today by God’s grace I am their President and I can say they are very disciplined and law-abiding who have passion for the job and I am proud of them all.

“A journalist must have a penchant for enhancing national unity and the public good, promote universal principles of human rights, democracy, justice, equity, peace and international understanding. They must continually take into consideration the socio-cultural condition under which they operate, even as they don’t lose sight of the universal commitments and requirements of the profession as well as the core values.

“This is why we are appealing to Nigerians not to ever engage in a knee-jerk reaction to any news, and to subject every piece of information to a very serious scrutiny before admitting them as fact,” he said.

The Ibadan-born celebrity journalist and businessman described the fake news phenomenon as ‘the scourge of our times’ noting that it would “probably get worse if not nipped in the bud.”

He, therefore, called on all Nigerians to be very vigilant so that fake news purveyors do not succeed in their quest to sow the seeds of chaos, psychological trauma and confusion.

He also appealed to the traditional media, which has a reputation to protect, to as well join the campaign against the purveyors of fake news so that the noble profession will not be hijacked by a few unqualified hands who want to give it a bad name.

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