Rush To Publish Breaking News Contributing To Fake News – GOCOP Deputy President

…As THE WHISTLER Hosts Editors In Abuja

The Deputy President, Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP) and publisher of the NewsDiaryOnline, Danlami Nmodu, has said that the rush by media houses to break stories has become a major contributor to the rise of fake news in Nigeria.

The GOCOP Deputy President held that the rise in ‘fake news’ has become worrisome, adding that online news platforms have to be more professional in their role as gatekeepers.

Nmodu made the remark on Monday during an interview session at the dinner organised by THE WHISTLER to mark the 7th Annual Conference of the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP) in Abuja.

The conference is the biggest gathering of online publishers. The 2023 edition is scheduled for October 5 2023, at the Abuja Continental Hotel (formerly Sheraton Hotel).

This year’s event has numerous sponsors including NNPC Limited, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Lagos and Kwara State governments, the Federal Inland Revenue Services (FIRS), Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG), and SEPLAT.

Nmodu said, “It is very important to be objective because you see, despite the advent of fake news when you remain professional, you can also address issues and make sure that fake news is eradicated. But in the rush to publish, the tendency to break news without having the fact, you could remember very recently there was an election result and a lot of reporters went out with reports that one governor has been sacked when in actual fact, what the tribunal decided was different from what a lot of platforms reported. So, the rush to publish breaking news can be a source of fake news. But when you take your time to crosscheck, verify, hear from other sources and fact-check.

“If we are going to make any progress in this profession, we need to be calmer, we need to be more thorough, fact-check and need to be sure we don’t rush to just break the news except we are sure of our fact.”

THE WHISTLER’s Chief Operating Officer, Christian Chukwu, who spoke at the event, said the world has evolved to the extent that online news platforms have become the major source of news across the globe.

According to the COO, many journalists work round the clock to ensure they play their roles as gatekeepers adding that they deserve to be celebrated.

He said the sacrifice of journalists necessitated the management of THE WHISTLER to orgainse the event in order to celebrate their efforts.

Chukwu said, “The people that you see here are the people we refer to as the gatekeepers. As you all know, news these days has moved from traditional sources to online. If my statistics are right, about 80 per cent of the people who consume news consume them online. So, it is very important that people who make this happen, who take the responsibility of taking the news into people’s cell phones and make sure people know what is going on around them in the world are celebrated.it is something that THE WHISTLER newspaper does not take for granted when it comes to the responsibility of journalism.

“I think in organising this event, it is a very big honour that we have to do it and be able to bring every journalist who works online day and night to make sure the job is done. The job of a journalist is a responsibility before it is a job. So, it is a responsibility that people carry like a big weight on their shoulders. A day like this is a day that we are so privileged to have everybody onboard and celebrate them so that they are encouraged because it is not an easy job.”

The GOCOP President and the Publisher of Realnews, Maureen Chigbo, speaking on the forthcoming conference, said the 2023 edition will address among other issues ways online publishers can manage their business in a sustainable manner.

Chigbo said, “My expectation for the GOCOP Conference is that we will learn a lot about online publishing and how to make online journalism in our country sustainable and manage the business we are doing in other to grow a profitable business that can benefit the publishers and also the society in general.

“My call for the new administration is that the government should do everything possible to jumpstart the economy and involve technocrats, those who know about the economy so well so that it can boost the confidence of investors to invest in the economy. It will help the nation thrive and the people will be lifted out of poverty.”