As radio, television and digital platforms increasingly become part of the same information journey, Motunrayo Alaka, Executive Director/CEO, Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ), has urged broadcasters to strengthen verification, editorial standards and accountability to ensure information remains accurate, verified, fair and useful wherever it travels.
She made the remarks while delivering the keynote address at the 3rd Annual National Conference, Panel Discussions and Induction of New Members of the Society of Nigerian Broadcasters (SNB) in Bauchi, themed “Responsible Broadcasting in an Election Year: Countering Misinformation, Promoting Peace and Strengthening Democracy.”
Akala noted that audiences no longer consume broadcast and digital media separately, as information moves rapidly between radio, television, social media, streaming platforms and messaging applications.
According to her, the convergence means broadcasters must ensure that content remains “accurate, verified, fair and useful wherever it travels.” She stressed that responsible broadcasting requires newsrooms to distinguish facts from opinion, correct mistakes and document editorial processes.
Alaka also highlighted the expanding reach enabled by technology, noting that a broadcast can now travel far beyond the limits of its transmitter. This, she said, makes professional responsibility even more important.
Declaring the conference open, Bauchi State Governor, Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed, represented by his Deputy, Muhammad Auwal Jatau, urged broadcasters to prioritise verification, accuracy and responsible reporting amid the rapid spread of misinformation, disinformation and manipulated content.
Professor Umaru Pate, President of the SNB, who said the Society has grown its membership to about 500, identified funding, technology, content, credibility, safety, freedom and changing audience behaviours among the challenges facing the broadcasting industry.
Representing the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, Voice of Nigeria Director-General, Jibrin Baba Ndace, also called on broadcasters to place verification at the centre of their work, particularly as artificial intelligence makes fabricated audio, video, photographs and documents increasingly convincing.
The conference is holding from 28 to 30 September 2026 at the Sir Ahmadu Bello International Conference Centre, Bauchi, and brings together broadcasters and media professionals from different parts of Nigeria to deliberate on the future of the broadcasting industry and its role in strengthening democracy, promoting peace and confronting the growing challenge of misinformation.
