Amid concerns over the negative impact of fake news on the country’s social fabric, Nigeria’s Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Barrister Festus Keyamo, SAN, has called for the regulation of social media to prevent the proliferation of fake news.
Speaking through his Special Adviser, Niyi Fatogun, at a media workshop on ‘Balancing Ethics and Patriotism: the obligations of journalists to their country’, Keyamo highlighted the need for laws and regulations to sanitize the social media space. According to him, fake news has the potential to destroy the nation, and the rise of social media has only served to exacerbate the problem.
To address this issue, Keyamo proposed a two-pronged approach. First, he suggested that fake social media accounts should be shut down. Second, he called for the introduction of laws that criminalize the spread of fake news. Keyamo believes that these steps will help mitigate the negative effects of fake news and prevent it from causing more damage to the country.
Meanwhile, the convener of the workshop, John Mayak, who is also the Country Director of the Coalition for Good Governance and Economic Justice in Africa, emphasized the importance of both government and self-regulation to tackle fake news. He argued that laws should be put in place to regulate the use of social media, as is the case in China and other developed countries.
Mayak also highlighted the need for journalists to practice self-regulation. According to him, the best way to tackle fake news is for journalists to regulate themselves by adhering to professional guidelines and ethical standards. He expressed confidence that with responsible journalism and self-regulation practices, fake news could be significantly reduced.
In summary, the call for the regulation of social media is timely, given the increasing proliferation of fake news across all social media platforms. While the use of social media offers many benefits, it has also created a breeding ground for the spread of fake news, which poses a threat to the country’s social cohesion. Therefore, it is incumbent upon the government and other stakeholders to work together to mitigate the negative effects of fake news by introducing measures that curb its spread.
