Kaduna State Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan, has called on the media to play the critical role of uniting the country through their reportage.
He said the country is at the stage where the media must play the responsible role of uniting “our people with a shared hope and a shared vision.
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Aruwan spoke at the opening ceremony of a three-day workshop on managing misinformation and deep fakes through fact-checking and strategic communication, convened by Avant-garde in Abuja.
He said: “At this critical stage of our national development, the media must minimize bickering, bitterness and should seek to build a thriving community as well as celebrate our diversity.
“This can be actively achieved by awakening our collective consciousness to the importance of fact-checking and curbing the spread of false information.”
To checkmate the spread of misinformation, Aruwan said “tech companies who now control the biggest platforms for the spread of information, should invest in tools that identify deep fakes.
“Internet platforms like Facebook and Twitter have taken some steps towards curbing the spread of fake news, and they are working on doing more. The financial motivation for disinformation must also be reduced, and online accountability must be upheld.
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“Educational institutions also have a crucial role to play, by prioritizing news literacy.
“Ultimately, the consumers (citizens) should constantly be at alert, and ensure that they draw from a diversity of sources. Also, what they read and watch must be approached with an investigative mindset.
“Government counts on citizens to be watchful for malicious misinformation, fake news and inflammatory reports deliberately designed to politicize issues of security.
“Government on its part should promote news literacy and uphold standards of professionalism for journalists in their societies.
“Media practitioners should provide first-rate journalism to correct disinformation and narrow the trust deficit,” he added.
