EKITI NUJ DECLARES WAR ON FAKE JOURNALISTS
Read Time:2 Minute, 18 Second
By: Fasasi Hammad
The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Ekiti State Council, has launched a sustained campaign against quack journalists and individuals allegedly impersonating professional journalists in the state.
The council said the anti-quackery exercise was aimed at sanitising the media industry, protecting the integrity of journalism and preventing members of the public from falling victim to individuals who allegedly use the identity and insignia of the union to perpetrate crimes.
The Ekiti NUJ Chairman, Comrade Kayode Babatuyi, disclosed this in Ado-Ekiti during an anti-quackery exercise, noting that the union had observed a growing trend of individuals presenting themselves as journalists simply because they owned smartphones or operated social media platforms.
Babatuyi stressed that possession of an Android phone or access to social media did not automatically qualify an individual as a professional journalist.
“We have noticed impersonation of our profession. A lot of people, because they think they have an Android phone, think they are journalists. We want to draw that line to enable them to see the difference between a professional journalist and a content creator,” he said.
The NUJ chairman said the exercise was also targeted at individuals allegedly using the union’s emblem to carry out criminal activities.
He disclosed that some suspected impersonators had already been apprehended, adding that the current exercise was only the beginning of a broader campaign.
Babatuyi warned that individuals arrested for impersonation would be prosecuted in accordance with the law.
Also speaking, the Chairman of the Ekiti NUJ Anti-Quackery Committee, Abiodun Olofe, said the campaign was focused on both members of the public and individuals operating as fake journalists.
Olofe urged the public to exercise caution when dealing with people who identify themselves as journalists, warning that individuals posing as journalists could contribute to misinformation and undermine the credibility of genuine media practitioners.
He advised members of the public to deal with journalists who could be properly identified and certified, noting that the NUJ had introduced official identification stickers to help distinguish legitimate practitioners from impostors.
“The essence of this exercise is simple. We are passing a message to the general public that they should be aware of the quacks among journalists and should not have anything to do with them,” Olofe said.
He added that individuals identified as operating illegally would be dealt with within the ambit of the law.
According to Olofe, the anti-quackery campaign would be sustained rather than treated as a one-off exercise, with further operations expected depending on the council’s arrangements.
He also expressed appreciation to the leadership of the Ekiti NUJ Council for its support, saying the council had continued to work towards ensuring that suspected fake journalists were properly handed over to government and relevant authorities.
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