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Hate speech & Fake news: 7 Things to Note from Nigeria Press Council and African Media Network Workshop

A Journalism Instructor at the American University of Nigeria (AUN), Yola, Adamawa State, Ibanga Isine, in a workshop on ‘Social Media Innovations and Online Reputation Management’ organised by the Nigerian Press Council and the African Media Network in Abuja has urged the Federal Government to counter fake news and hate speech by adopting the ‘I Stand For Nigeria” campaign.

In a paper presentation titled “How to Manage Hate Speech and Fake News”, the instructor said Nigeria must use a “multi-pronged approach”, to checkmate fake news and hate speeches.

He noted that students of the AUN are currently representing Nigeria in a ‘Peer to Peer Facebook Global Digital Challenge’ directed at opposing hate and extremist comments on Social Media, adding that youths between the ages of 17 – 30, are most active on social media and also most vulnerable to radical and hate conversations.

The following are important points to note from the workshop:

1. Research by AUN students shows that religion, politics and ethnicity are the major drivers of hate and radical conversations on social media in Nigeria.

2. Hate speech and fake news are crimes against humanity and should be tackled seriously by individuals, media organisations, corporate entities and the Government.

3. The three tiers of Government in the Country should respect the rule of law, respect the rights of minorities and the vulnerable populations and punish purveyors of hate speech and fake news.

4. The media has a critical role to play if Nigerians must defeat hate speech and fake news and their manifestations. The media should adopt vigilance, strong social media presence, strict adherence to ethics, surveillance, fact-checking, and constant capacity building to combat the menace.

5. Research findings show that Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp are the platforms with the highest prevalence of hate and radical conversations in Nigeria.

6. Subscribers to news sources should not just read, like and share any content until such materials have been verified to be true and in good taste.

7. Critical thinking, verification of sources of news, reading beyond the headlines, identifying authors of posts, checking newsworthiness of posts and avoiding unnecessary biases when confronted with issues on the social media space is recommended.

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