Where do you get your news? What’s your religious and political predilection? These and several other factors determine our source of information today. The media, touted as the fourth estate of the realm to provide checks on the executive, legislature and the judiciary, has since lost its primary fervour with the advent of cable news channels starting with CNN in 1980 and Fox in 1996. The media is no longer the guardian of democracy and defender of the public interest, but that of a political or state ideology. The media sets the agenda and determines public discussion as Bernard Cohen said in 1963, and I quote: “The press may not be successful much of the time in telling people what to think, but it is stunningly successful in telling its readers what to think about.”
The media is hardly providing news this day, rather, it foists opinions and definitions of correction. It’s an information war for the soul of the masses. ‘Infodemic’ as it is called today, is a portmanteau of “information” and “epidemic” that typically refers to a rapid and far-reaching spread of both accurate and inaccurate information about something, such as a disease. As facts, rumours, and fears mix and disperse, it becomes difficult to learn essential information about an issue. News is devoid of pureness, substance, truth, and accuracy, everything is a concoction to appeal to our emotions. There’s no such thing as unbiased news, biased news misleads, manipulates, polarizes, and divides us. In the United States, it’s CNN versus Fox, which translates to Democrats (Left-leaning) against Republicans (Right-leaning). On CNN, you’ll get some of the most outlandish, fabricated stories about the Republicans you’ll think they are bloodsuckers! It got so bad that CNN journalists were openly belligerent towards former President Donald Trump all through his tenure. And when you go to Fox, it’s a cocktail of embellishment of lies about the Democrats. The war between these media outlets extends beyond political ideology, while CNN embraces civil rights, feminism, LGBT rights, anti-war, environmental issues, and other liberal ideologies. Fox on the other hand is conservative, traditional, adherent to natural law, authoritarian, nationalist, etc. The same applies to the New York Times and New York Post, with the former left-leaning and the latter right-leaning.
This media dichotomy is not peculiar to the United States; it’s a global phenomenon with several facets and agendas. The western media of all leanings and persuasions have been accused of negative reporting on Africa, Islam, Russia, Asia, Arabs, other cultures, Cuba, Iran, etc. The activities and reportage of all the international news media are tailored to promote their domicile country’s political and ideological views. The CNN’s advancement and ennoblement of the United States’ view on the rest of the world, led many countries to invest hugely in the promotion cum propaganda war through their media outlets, hence, RT is the international mouthpiece of Russia, France24 proselytizes Paris, 100-year-old BBC sing praises of Great Britain, PressTV advocates for Tehran, DW eulogies Germany, Chinese perspectives is on CGTN, Al-Jaz
eera for Qatar and the Islamic world, RAI does it for Italy, many more. Albeit an inconsequential player on the international scene, on our NTA, the ruling government in Nigeria does no wrong. Wherever you source your news, it’s adulterated! It is either overhyped or watered down.
The ‘infodemic war’ of the conventional media is a child’s play to that of the social media-Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and others. We are all witnessing the effects of these media in the spreading of misinformation and falsehood. A lie travels the world in a second. This is not to say that social media is purely for evil, in fact, it does more good deeds. It enables us to connect virtually, communicate, share pictures, transact commerce, and many more. We all have to take more than a cursory look before we share the information we saw on our social media platforms. The authentication of the veracity is sacred. It is no longer an innocuous endeavour, but a civic duty, to stop the spread of falsehood and misleading information.
As Nigeria gears up for the 2023 general elections and the war in Ukraine persists, you’ll be inundated with all sorts of news, be careful of what you believe. Television Continental (TVC) is sympathetic to the ruling All Progressives Congress just as African Independent Television (AIT) is to the People’s Democratic Party, just using these two as an analogy. Accept all news with a pinch of salt until you’re really sure. Even the so-called reputable outlets are guilty of the fabrication of truths and the embellishment of lies.
