Online Journalism Threatened By Mischief, Blackmail – Osoba

Online Journalism Former Governor of Ogun State, Olusegun Osoba, on Friday said that fake news and blackmail were some of the factors negating online journalism.

Mr Osoba who is also a journalist was speaking as the chairman at this year’s annual conference organized by the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP) at Sheraton Hotels, Lagos.

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The theme of this year’s conference this, “Online Publishers’ Role Towards A Sustainable Economy, Credible Election and Security in Nigeria.”

Osoba who was represented by Lanre Idowu, the Chief Executive Officer, Diamond Publications Ltd, said that the menace of fake news, mischief and blackmail by some online bloggers was a global concern and urged online publishers to come up with solutions to resolve the menace.

The ex-governor stressed that the “media have a major role to play as impartial arbiters who should present the issues, the candidates and their positions on these issues in a way that helps the public to make sense out of the contending views.

The statement reads in parts: “I want to stress that online journalism has come to stay. What was seen as the future has indeed become the present. At the touch of a laptop or tablet keyboard, information travels across geographical space and time zones. What was deemed impossible has become real.

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“The world is only a click away. The development is both exhilarating and bewildering. It is positive as it opens the world to greater exploration. It could also be negative as the ease and race to share information is open to great abuse if met with lack of sufficient care and diligence.

“It is this abuse manifested in the shape of fake news, unverified information and the inclination for mischief and blackmail by some bloggers that threaten the integrity of the online medium.

“It is a global concern that you need to continuously look into. How can we reduce the proclivity for this errant behaviour? How much training and retraining can you put together for your members and other online practitioners to ensure we do not allow the menace to grow?

“The media have a major role to play as impartial arbiters who should present the issues, the candidates and their positions on these issues in a way that helps the public to make sense out of the contending views.

“It is good to get the news first but it is certainly better to get it right. Your association should drum this point into the hearing of your members for if there is a medium that has the greatest potential to stoke conflict through precipitate and unverified information, it is the online media.

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“In a country with still a large population of the uneducated, we must be careful not to unwittingly stoke violent conflicts, stunt economic development and imperil the future of our people.”

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