The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has outlined the landmines the media must avoid ahead of the 2023 elections.

The INEC National Commissioner on Voter Education and Publicity, Festus Okoye, made this known on Tuesday in Abuja at a one day workshop with the theme: ‘Good Governance: The role of mass media in a free and fair election for sustainable democracy.’

Okoye, who was represented by the Deputy Director, Voter Education and Publicity, Mr. Chukwuemeka Ugboaja, said the electoral body would continue to partner with the media, not only as a key stakeholder in the electoral process but also as a viable tool for combating misinformation, fake news and malicious falsehood.

He said: “As the country moves closer to the 2023 general election, there are obvious landmines that the media must avoid. The media must avoid the breaking news syndrome.”

Okoye pointed out that some of the mainstream media are gradually gravitating towards online journalism with the attendant quest for breaking news, which are sometimes not properly verified and processed.

He added that “The media must be circumspect in casting headlines and the thirst for sensational headlines. Sometimes, people look at the headlines and draw conclusions without looking at the body of the report. The media must find the right balance in casting headlines.

“The media must avoid deliberate falsehood aimed at drawing traffic to sites. Deliberate falsehood aimed at drawing traffic to particular sites is a huge challenge in strategic communication,” he said.

The national commissioner further stressed that the media must avoid tilting of stories towards religious, zonal and ethnic narratives.

Okoye said: “The commission believes that the antidote to fake news and misinformation is greater openness and transparency. By working closely with the media and availing it of all relevant facts that need to be in the public domain, and timeously too, the commission is strengthening the media to play its constitutional role in a democracy.”

Earlier, the President of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Alumni Association of Nigeria (JAAN), Mr. Ahmed Agberankhe, said the decision to organize the roundtable discussion was informed by the esteemed regards for the press as an engine of peaceful mobilisation for peaceful national development.

According to him, “Needless to say that your profession has bestowed on you enormous power to control any social discourse and consequently, the impact of such discussion on the peace and well-being of the nation.” (THISDAY)

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