Public Service Alert: When Misinformation Thrives – A Case Study
Nigerian Police: We have rescued a woman and her two kids from Kidnappers
AriseTV Journalist Rufai: It is thanks to Sunday Igboho (source: Trust Me, bro)
Nigeria Police: Here is the video of the rescue. We are also disclaiming any suggestions that SI made the rescue happen. Treat it as fake news
AriseTV Journalist Rufai: I put it to you that I said what I said.
Sunday Igboho: I was not part of the rescue.
AriseTV Journalist Rufai: I say you were part of it even if I wasn’t there.
Such is the bane of weird journalism and perverse misinformation that is now prevalent in every strata of Nigerian society.
This is how misinformation weakens public trust.
When journalists become more invested in validating their bias than verifying the truth, they do not hold power accountable. They mislead the public.
Nigeria’s security institutions may not be perfect but when they get it right, especially in a dangerous rescue operation involving innocent citizens, the facts must matter more than personal politics.
The fight against insecurity is difficult enough. We cannot afford a media culture where falsehood travels first, correction arrives late, and some people still choose the falsehood because it suits their narrative.
Facts must still matter. Truth must still matter, but trust must not be sacrificed on the altar of commentary.
Sunday Igboho has reportedly denied involvement in the rescue, and the police has released statements to that effect yet the damage from the careless posts and posturing by the media personality is still there.
Dear all, Nigeria cannot defeat insecurity with divided loyalty to truth. When our security forces act, facts must lead, not ego, bias or the desperate need to be right or trend.
O’tega Ogra
