The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has hinted that the federal government will in no distant time create policy to regulate media content.
The information minister hinted on this in a speech at the National Broadcasting Commission’s 2017 Summit, on Tuesday in Jos, where he likened media content to food and said media content is key to nation building.
“Food is a necessity, but not every food is good for the body. It is often said that we are what we eat. Junk food is unhealthy for our health.
“It follows, therefore, that junk information is not good for our health, stability and growth as a nation.
“Content managers must thus be very sensitive; they must always weigh the possible impact of what they broadcast or publish, to the stability and development of our country,” he said.
TheNewsGuru reports that as more and more communication is taking place in digital form, the full range of public conversations takes different dimensions.
These discussions reflect the diversity of human experience: some are enlightening and informative, others are humourous and entertaining, and others still are political or religious.
Some can also be hateful and ugly. Most responsible communications platforms and governments are now working hard to restrict this kind of hateful content.
Mohammed, who was represented by Mr. Bulus Dabit, Director, Plateau office of the National Orientation Agency, particularly cautioned media content managers against broadcasting or publishing hate speech that had often incited groups against each other.
He said that national interest must be placed over every other consideration, and urged media managers to champion the cause of a better, stronger and united Nigeria.
The information minister reminded media content managers of people’s love for information, and stressed the need for critical gate keepers of information to be careful, creative and purposeful “especially in these hard times”.
He promised that government would create the right policy environment to confront negative media content that could promote terrorism, militancy, hate speeches, herdsmen/farmers clashes, cattle rustling and kidnapping.
>>Also read: Hard Questions: Who should decide what is hate speech in an online global community?