“Events happen quite fast and news editors publish without having enough time to think them through. Speed is now priority and accuracy and impact are somewhat an afterthought. This is a challenge in journalism today just as much as it is in political communication too."


A university don, Dr. Kola Adeshina has called on the United Nations to draft a charter that would address the anti-social potential of social media across the world while protecting individual’s rights to freedom of expression.

He made this call during a virtual webinar organised by an alumni group of the Department of Mass Communication, Crescent University, Abeokuta- Ogun State last weekend titled, EndSARS Protest: What worked, went wrong and way forward.

Adeshina said the violence that trailed the EndSars Protest across Nigeria was largely fueled by fake news, one of the potential dangers of social media.

“Social media is too powerful and far-reaching for it not to be regulated. What we have seen in the past 72 hours is a clear manifestation of the anti-social potential that social media possess. There are many applications that can be used to fake realities and simulate real life situations. Often times, these apps are used to confuse social media consumers and trigger events, the likes of what we have seen across the country.”

“Fake news is not just a Nigerian problem, it is global. The world has to address it now before it plunges it into a third world war. Some scholars are already advocating for a UN Charter in this regard and I strongly believe this should be done. Countries like the UK, Germany and some other advanced economies have different forms of regulation on social media. They work with the tech companies to reduce the risk of spreading fake news, cyber bullying and others. We need to have some form of control here and now is the best time to do something. This has nothing to do with press freedom or freedom of expression” He added.

Dr. Adeshina, a scholar of Development Communications and Head, Department of Mass Communication, Crescent University, Abeokuta, Ogun State also blamed traditional media for their role in the coverage of the EndSARS protest across the country.

https://ibrahimoguns./2020/10/26/varsity-don-calls-for-un-charter-to-tackle-fake-news/