By; MOHAMMED KAWU, Bauchi
Independent National Electoral Commission (NEC) has assured of continued partnership 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.
It holds the believe that the antidote to fake news and misinformation is greater openness and transparency by working closely with the media and availing it of all reliant facts that need to be in the public domain, and timeously too, it’s strengthening of the media to play its constitutional role in a democratic set up.
INEC National Commissioner and Chairman Information and Voter Education, Barrister Festus Okoye spoke at a ‘Roundtable’ programme organized by the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) on Conflict Sensitive Reporting and the 2023 General Election in Bauchi State.
He stressed the need for the media to avoid deliberate falsehood aimed at drawing traffic to sites ,”deliberate falsehood aimed at drawing traffic to particular site is a huge challenge in strategic communication rumours and falsehood that are sometimes very difficult to manage.”
The media, the commissioner said, must avoid tilting of stones towards religious, zonal and ethnic narratives, as the commission keeps holding the balance in terms of communication to avoid ethnic and religious narratives.
“The media must avoid the breaking news syndrome. 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.
“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”.
According to the INEC Information and Voter Education Commissioner, the media must hold a balance between all the contending parties, as candidates Section 95(2) of the Electoral Act, 2022 is categorical that state apparatus including the media shall not be employed to the advantage or disadvantage of any political party or candidate at any election.
Barrister Okoye explained that the media and its practitioners must have basic understanding and a working knowledge of the constitutive constitutional legal and regulatory instruments that guide and underpin the work of the electoral commission, having the Constitution gone through several amendments.
In addition, Okoye said, the country has a new Electoral Act that is progressive and has imputed and domiciled the use of technology more concretely in the electoral process.
“Without this understanding, all perceived Inadequacies and infractions by other agencies of government and other stakeholders in the electoral process may inadvertently be ascribed to the Commission and this could lead to misunderstanding and disinformation”.
“The media must be aware and understand that preparations for elections, the conduct of elections and the resolution of electoral disputes are in a class of their own and cannot be discussed and analyzed from a generic point of view”.
He argued that the conduct of electoral business has national security implications, hence reporting elections needs to be handled with an eye on conflict sensitivity and national peace and cohesion, as one false report that goes viral may have the potential of triggering a breakdown of law and order in a part or the whole of the country.
He outlined the role of the media in electoral process to include availing the critical stakeholders with timely and relevant information, and mobilizing the electorate to participate in the electoral process through awakening in them the consciousness of taking ownership of the political process.
Others, he stated, are publishing information and activities of political parties and candidates with a view to helping the electorate make informed choices, and ensuring through their searchlight and reports that the processes and rules of engagement in the electoral system are duly complied with.
The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) which organized the programmed emphasized that the emergence of our country as a democracy in 1999 was a product of collective efforts of Nigerians as represented by the mass media and civil society, and despite its challenges, democracy has provided Nigerians with space to freely discuss their affairs.
The Union National President, Chris Isiguzo said that the media is an essential factor in the process of democracy, expected not only to monitor governance and make government accountable, but also help to mobilize the populace to participate in the process of governance and development.
Isiguzo told the occasion organized by the Union in collaboration with INEC that every single day of democratic governance in Nigeria helps further deepen democratic values in the country, assuring that journalists would work towards the advancement of the right of freedom of expression, access to information, freedom of the press, media independence, conflict transformation and peace building as prerequisites for open governance and development.
The Union President said that in order to properly advance public interests, earn public trust and be watchdogs of the society, the pursuit of truth and public good must be the cornerstone of journalism practice in Nigeria, thereby making it obligatory for every journalist to maximally comply with ethical principles and professional standards.
“It also makes it obligatory for every journalist to be entitled to decent wages, protection from attacks or hazards and conducive working environment”, he said, and enjoined participants to make proper use of the training opportunity to ensure a level playing field is provided for all political actors, while ensuring that peoples’ votes count through a highly professional management of news by journalists who are equipped with international best practices.
