The National Broadcasting Commission, NBC has called on the Federal Government to intensify efforts at promoting news literacy and strong professional journalism in the country.
The Commission’s Director General Is’haq Modibbo-Kawu, made the call at the 2019 Annual World Human Rights Day, organised by the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights, CDHR, Lagos Branch.
Modibbo-Kawu, who was represented by the Zonal Director of NBC, Lagos, Chibuike Vincent, delivered a lecture on: “The Role of the Media in Promoting Human Rights and Curbing Fake News in a Democratic Setting”.
The event was themed: “Criminalisation of Rights to Freedom of Speech and Expression as Enshrined in the Nigerian Constitution”.
The Director-General noted that fake news and sophisticated dis-information campaigns were especially problematic in a democratic system. According to him, there is a growing debate on how to address the issue without undermining the benefits of digital media.
In his remark, the Human Rights group Chairman, Lagos Branch, Alex Omotehinse, said that the group attached so much importance to the commemoration because of the gross violation of inalienable rights.
