The Kwara State Council, Nigeria Union of Journalists, has constituted an anti-quackery committee to check the menace of fake news and its consequential damage to the media in the state.
A statement by the state Chairman and Secretary, Umar Abdulwahab and Deacon Omotayo Ayanda respectively in Ilorin on Saturday, announced the constitution of the committee with Elder Stephen Oni as the chairman.
The statement said the move was “sequel to a directive from the national secretariat of the NUJ to constitute an ‘Anti-Quackery committee’ to flush out quacks from the media profession.”
The council expressed concern over the alarming dimension of fake news especially on social media, which is capable of fanning religious, ethnic and communal crises and even chaos in the society.
“As professional journalists, we owe it a duty to stand against this identified horrible phenomenon.
“We must stand out and discourage social media actors and some elements within us who are hawkers of fake news with the sole intent of destroying the very fabric that holds us together as a people,” the council added.
The council explained that the anti-quackery committee would ensure that discipline and sanity is restored to the profession.
“We have come to rid the profession of quacks haven observed that few elements within the profession are not professionals and have been giving the rest of us bad names,” it added.
The council said, “we can no longer fold our arms and allow these few quacks to drag our profession into the mud or tag the rest of us with ill repute.”
