NBC
The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) sanctioned Arise TV for airing fake reports about the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu.
NBC fined the television station N2 million for breaching the broadcasting code.
The TV station apologised on Sunday after reporting that the Independent National Broadcasting Commission (INEC) was investigating Tinubu over alleged criminal forfeiture of money on offenses bordering on narcotics and illicit drugs.
Subsequently, INEC denied the statement on which Arise TV based its report which forced the station to retract the statement and apologised to Tinubu.
As ethical journalism will have it, the station has been sanctioned for basing its report solely on the unverified press release.
But the truth is that as we count down to the presidential election in 2023, we are likely to battle more fatal reports.
It is left to every pillar of democracy and electioneering to fact check every story before publicity.
After the damage has been done, it is uncertain that emotionasal Nigerians who folliwed the story will admit the sanction with the same energy.
It is also worth stating that political actors in the country have to stop the spread of fake news to not put media outfits into trouble.
2023 elections will be crucial to Nigeria's political and democratic history.
We shouldn't allow fake news to heighten the polity for whatever reason.
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