The president of Ahmadu Bello University Campus Press, Comrade Aliyu Baba Mohammed has advised the netizens, especially the social media users within and outside the Ahmadu Bello University Community to eschew sharing every unverified information to bring about responsible or objective Citizen Journalism in particular and public safety in general.
The President stated this during a one day Campaign-Rally on “Objective Citizen Journalism” organized by the Ahmadu Bello University Campus Press, Department of Mass Communication, Ahmadu Bello University Zaria.
The rally was aimed at educating the university community and the general public on the dire need for individuals to be cautious in creating and disseminating/sharing information and news as they engage in Citizen Journalism practice.
He said the society can be crippled through misinformation and disinformation perpetrated by many social media users; the platforms that give avenue and liberty for ordinary people who are not professional or trained journalists to practice journalism.
“The presence of new media has totally changed the way citizens send and receive information. Almost everybody is now a journalist courtesy of social media and other online communication platforms such as blogs.
“As such, people create and consume media contents freely without censorship. So, many people are knowingly or unknowingly misusing the liberal nature of these platforms to perpetuate Fake News, thereby, causing harm to human society.
“It is with this the ACP found it necessary to organize this campaign to sensitize the inhabitants of ABU, Zaria, especially the students (who are majorly the agents of online communication) and the general public on the dangers of misinformation and/or disinformation in the society,” he said.
He added that some individuals create propagandous messages majorly for selfish-interest, while urging netizens to shun Hate Speech as it creates hatred in the society.
The campaigners were seen in numbers carrying placards with various inscriptions such as: “No Development Without Good Information,” “Your Voices Matter, So Does Your Commitment To Accuracy And Reliable Sources,” “Don't Be An Agent Of Falsehood,” “Fake News Is Real, Avoid It,” “Be Socially Responsible,” “No Peace For A Misinformed Society,” “It’s Dangerous To Spread Unverified Information,” “Be An Advocate Of Quality Information,” “If You Are Not Sure, Don't Share,” among others.
Some of the participants at the campaign who spoke to Troubleshooter Reporters lauded the organizers for such an educative and informative event, while urging them to do more.
“People use to create or share fake information on social media, causing others to consume untrue information that could deter societal peace,” Umar J. Umar said.
“An onlooker at the community market, Favour Samuel said “seriously, there is a need to create awareness on the dangers of feeding the society with fake news or information. So, this kind of campaign should be encouraged, especially among the youth who are majorly the occupants of the internet.”
The rally which lasted for more than two hours under the supervision of security personnels saw the campaigners moving from the Department of Mass Communication, Faculty of Social Sciences; through the Faculty of Arts to the Senate building of the University. Other places visited include: Queen Amina, Ribadu, Suleiman, ICSA)RAMAT Hostels and the ABU Community Market.
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