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- Media executives seek mechanism against fake news by politicians
A Nigerian lawmaker, Akin Rotimi, Jr. has expressed concerns over the current trend of using Artificial Intelligence in the spread of fake news.
The Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Media held that AI is used in accelerating the widespread use of fake news at a faster and worrisome rate.
Rotimi made this known while speaking during a panel discussion on X Space hosted by NPO Reports on Saturday in commemoration of the World Press Freedom Day.
In his overview of the topic, “Fake News, Political Agenda, and the Erosion of Public Trust in the Media,” the lawmaker said fake news is not a mere buzz word but a tool designed to mislead and manipulate public biases.
He noted the alarming rate at which fake news gets spread.
“Fake news is not merely a buzz word. It is designed to misleading, manipulate our public biases.
“Citizens now consume news with default skepticism.
“Artificial Intelligence has accelerated the dissemination of fake news. Falsehood now travels faster, wider, and deeper than before,” he said.
As a solution to tackle the spread of fake news, Rotimi maintained that media institutions and regulatory bodies take most responsibility in curbing fake news through self-regulation as he warned against leaving the responsibility in the hands of the government.
“Freedom without responsibility is anarchy, journalism without ethics is propaganda.
“In any society, if you leave it to government, it will always be skewed,
“It is always better for the media to self-regulate,” he said.
The lawmaker also harped on the need for media gatekeepers to checkmate the excesses of journalists and coordinate the nomenclature of the profession.
“Many times when journalists publish stories without any recourse, why is it only when journalists are picked up that we hear the gatekeepers?
“The gatekeepers and organizations that regulate the practice still have greater responsibility.
“It has become a common place for politicians to use the media. So, where is the push back from the media themselves?
“In seven decades of Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), there have been very scanty instances where you rigged a journalist in.
“Anybody now can open a platform and publish anything these days without recourse.
“The onus is on the practitioners and industry to retake your high ground as moral safeguard,” Rotimi said.
Media executives who also spoke at the event sought mechanisms against use of the media outlets for the dissemination of fake news by politicians.
The Editor of The Cable, Kolapo Olapoju, decried the spate of fake news.
The editor, in his overview of the topic, claimed that there are forces behind the spread of fake news.
However, Olapoju blamed the media for not being responsible in its reportage as he stressed that the industry is dealing with a significant issue of trust deficit.
“Globally the scourge of fake news is extremely rampant.
“There are lots of people behind the screen pulling the strings.
“We are dealing with a serious significant trust deficit. There is an issue of fake news there, but the media itself has not been very responsible in its reportage.
“We’ve allowed a lot of quacks to come into space and drown out those doing important work,” Olapoju said.
In alignment with Olapoju’s argument, Bisi Deji-Folutile, the Editor-in-Chief of Frank Talk Now, admitted that there are people behind the spread of misinformation.
Deji-Folutile held that today’s media are controlled by economic and political powers that influence editorial contents.
She reiterated that fake news in Nigerian media space today is controlled from somewhere.
“There are people behind the scene responsible for most of the misinformation. Media are cultural influencers. Because of the influence, it has the capacity to influence the opinion of the public.
“Whatever you see coming from the media are controlled by the economic powers and political powers over the time. Over the years, these political and economic powers have had control over the media.
“There is hardly anything that is fake that you find in the Nigerian media space today that is not controlled from somewhere. Fake news and misinformation don’t just come into the space,” she said.
While recognising the efforts of fact-checkers in tackling fake news which had led to several discoveries, including misinformation in government’s press releases, Deji-Folutile maintained that the political elites will always need the media to amplify their messages.
These messages, according to her, are mostly self-motivated.
“The question is how do we regulate the power that churns out misinformation through the media?
“These days we do a lot of fact- checks and realize that things that come out of the government through press releases turn out to be misinformation.
“The truth is the political elite will always need the media to amplify their messages. It will be nice if the messages are straightforward. But naturally we amplify messages that soothe our purposes,” she added.
Also Speaking, Dotun Oladipo, the Editor-in-Chief of The Eagles Online said there is an improvement in the level of trust Nigerians have in the media.
The former President of the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers said 65 percent trust from Nigerians regarding its credibility in 2025 which was higher than in 2024 where it recorded 61 percent level of trust.
However, Oladipo held that there must be a clear demarcation between citizen journalists and trained journalists.
“Over time, the perception of Nigerians as per the media appears to be improving. The media has 65 percent trust from Nigerians. Last year it was 61 percent.
“People are beginning to have the capacity to separate real journalists from those who spread false and fake news.
“As we are moving ahead, Nigerians will get to a position and say, okay if I need news, where do I go?”
“We cannot lump citizen journalists with those who are professionals as they don’t belong anywhere.
“There must be a clear demarcation between citizen journalists and trained journalists,” he said.
While stressing that the public is gradually developing the ability to discern real journalists from fake news peddlers, Oladipo decried the dearth of graduates interested in journalism.
“Like Kolapo said, it’s easier now to track information through fact checking.
“What we have learnt over time is that people coming out of school now are ill-equipped with no experience at all. They don’t want to stay,” he said.
Oladipo warned of the extinction of editors which may mark the end of journalism.
“I have been saying this for the past 10 years that once the current crop of people, especially editors fade out, that may spell the end of journalism,” he said.
Speaking on the need for laws in tackling fake news, Akinbode Oluwafemi, founder of Corporate Accountability And Public Participation Africa said there is a shortage of laws addressing fake news in the country.
Oluwafemi, who was represented by CAPPA’s Assistant Director, Zikora Ibeh, called for reinforcement of accountability mechanisms.
“One question we need to ask ourselves, I don’t think we have a shortage of laws in this country. There is an abundance of laws. And inside these regulations, we have laws addressing fake news. But is it that those laws are not enough?
“We have to reinforce our accountability mechanism. The public institutions have to release factual information. They have to be accessible,” he said.
However, Deji-Folutile raised concerns over the journalists’ challenge of getting real news labeled fake by politicians.
While sharing her experience, Deji-Folutile disclosed the extent at which some public office holders go in demeaning genuine stories that affect them.
“Those who tag your report as fake news will be part of those pushing it as fake news. These powers have financial strength to rubbish the report.
“I have seen cases where these people book advert spaces where they push your stories as fake,” she said.
The editor suggested the promotion of fact-checking and digital literacy as part of the efforts to curb fake news.
“We should aim at promoting digital literacy. We should also promote fact checking literacy. We need to enforce all ethical standards,” she added.
The Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Media, Akin Rotimi, in his overview of the topic of discourse, the lawmaker affirmed that fake news is a tool designed to mislead and manipulate public biases.
He decried the alarming rate at which fake news gets spread.
“Fake news is not merely a buzz word. It is designed to misleading, manipulate our public biases.
“Citizens now consume news with default skepticism.
“Artificial Intelligence has accelerated the dissemination of fake news. Falsehood now travels faster, wider, and deeper than before,” he said.
In his opening remarks, Publisher of the NPO Reports, Semiu Okanlawon, said media house managers cannot afford to abdicate their responsibilities and allow fake news merchants to take over for their selfish political agendas.
“We all recognise the irreplaceable roles that journalism plays in the defence of democracy, transparency, and human rights.
“Sadly, we have to come to terms with the reality that fake news syndrome constitutes a great impediment to the realisations of the objectives of the media.
“Fake news has suddenly become a tool in the hands of political manipulators and merchants. The manipulation of the media for the personal agendas of the merchants is on an alarming rise. The result is the erosion of members of the public in the trust they have for the media,” Okanlawon said.