INEC cautions journalists on fake news

SELYA YARNAP,Bauchi

Journalists in Bauchi State have been called upon by the state Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC to shun fake news and work within the rules of their profession.

The State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Ibrahim Abdullah,i said this while giving a key note address at a workshop on the role of journalists during the 2019 general election, organised by the bauchi state NUJ council in collaboration with INEC.

According to him, hate speech and fake news are becoming very divisive forces in the society, adding that journalists should do all the necessary checks in order not to incite violence during elections.

Ibrahim Abdullahi stated “this has since become a threat in our democratic system, as such we should always discourage the spread of all news that will distract our peace and unity in the country. You should be conscious of what will be the consequence when you disseminate the wrong information”

“As we are getting closer to the 2019 general election, journalists have to adhere to the code of conduct and the ethics of the profession. Most politicians during elections are into fake news and hate speech, if you don’t assist them, they will go nowhere”, he said.

The Deputy National President of NUJ, Muktar Gidado, in his address, stated that the training workshop for journalists on the coverage of the general election was timely, noting that the national body of the union was not relenting on its oars in fighting quackery in journalism profession.

In his welcome speech, the NUJ State Chairman, Mallam Ibrahim Goje, said that training and retraining was one of the cardinal principles of the NUJ, calling on journalists who are yet to acquire the necessary qualifications to do so .

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