By Ankeli Emmanuel (In Sokoto State)
A Fact-Checking media firm, Alkalanci, in collaboration with the Sokoto State Ministry of Religious Affairs, has organized a 2-day workshop for Islamic clerics on building resilient communities against falsehood.
The workshop, with it's title, "Combatting False Narratives and Promoting Media Literary and a theme, "Building Resilient Communities Through Fact-Checking", has in attendance highly respected clerics from across Sokoto State.
Speaking in his opening remarks, Sokoto State Commsioner for Religious Affairs, Asst. Professor Jabir Maihula appealed to Islamic clerics not only in the Sokoto but entire country to always make objectivity and truth their watchwords.
Truth, according to Prof. Maihula brings out untainted intergrity, command respect and creates safer society for all.
Making presentation on, "Recognizing Biased and Manipulative Content: Sensationalism, Political Manipulation, Misinformation and Hate Speech", Sokoto State Chairman, Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Comrade Usman Mohammed Binji submitted that information disorder has emerged as one of the most serious social challenges confronting the contemporary Nigerian society.
"The rapid expansion of social media, combined with declining trust in traditional gatekeepers of information, has created fertile ground for sensationalism, political manipulation, misinformation, disinformation, and hate speech".
On the likely negative consequences of the above, Usman Binji said, "These phenomena have contributed to social tension, electoral violence, religious misunderstanding, and, in extreme cases, loss of lives".
Binji however maintained that, the mosques and Islamic clerics can serve as effective centers of verification, guidance, and crisis prevention by promoting media literacy, ethical communication, and community resilience. NNL.
PICTURE: Sokoto NUJ Chairman, Comrade Usman Mohammed Binji presenting paper at the ongoing 2 day workshop for Islamic Clerics on Countering False Narratives, and Fact-Checking. Photo by Ankeki Emmanuel.
