Media professionals have cautioned inexperienced journalists against purveying unverified news, stating that dissemination of fake news could lead to serious litigations.
The stakeholders spoke to reporters in Abuja on Monday as part of activities to mark the 100 years celebration of Daily Times Newspaper.
According to them, no media organization can survive political transitions, economic upheavals and technological changes if it is not committed to the ethics of journalism.
Tony Amokeodo, ex-spokesperson to a former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ibrahim Magu called on reporters to verify their contents from primary sources and not secondary.
“Some journalists rely on secondary sources and not primary sources. Any journalist that wants to excel must avoid beer parlor rumours and stick to facts. Get your facts from your primary source”, he said.
According to Amokeodo, some “reporters are not journalists”, lamenting the trend of misinformation on online platforms, where he said “anything goes”.
On the alleged attack on journalists and media house by authorities, Mr Tony blamed lack of commitment to the ethics of journalism.
Similarly, Charles Ozoemena, the Managing editor of Daily Times warned that fake news could attract serious litigations, urging journalists to stick to facts by properly verifying media contents.
“If you are not sure of the fact, don’t go there. A lot of journalists just share whatever breaking news that they see online. You are sharing a news that you don’t know the source and you are not even sure of.
“You must have to confirm the story by yourself before sharing, otherwise, you are exposing yourself to serious litigations.
“Instead of confirming stories, you share whatever press releases you see, that is lazy journalism as far as I am concerned”.
Also speaking, the founder of Folio Media Group and Publisher of Daily Times, Mr Fidelis Anosike urged consistency in the profession, stating that perfection can only be achieved via repeated actions.
He said, “The next ten years of the profession will be defined by real journalists. If you are a real journalist, you should be able to write, background your stories, do research and structure your content. The profession is not for the faint-hearted.
“You can’t be a journalist, then after five years, you go and do real estate, then after another five years you return, no. For you to be a perfectionist in whatever you are doing, you have to do it repeatedly overtime.”
Mr Anosike earlier described the centenary celebration of Daily Times as a defining moment not only for the organisation but also for Nigerian journalism.
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