Kabiru Danladi Lawanti wrote It is a common norm historically to see southern based papers writing rumour as fact, especially when the story is about North. It became part of them that they do it without evn knowing...... The trait can be seen evn on FB, those who consistently read these papers abuse people without evn knowing. They subconsciously imbibe that culture. Apologising to Buhari is not enough, especially when this is coming from Guardian of all people. The story was fiction, hearsay, rumour and irresponsible ============================ The Northern Youth and Social Media: A Tool for Change The role of the northern youth in change in Nigeria is increasingly by the day..those of us who wrote to Highlight it skipped one important aspect…we did not suggest how..at least I did not..i assumed it was Obvious The above post on Kabiru Lawntis wall brought me to that immediate realization.The realization that the lopsidedness in media strenght is a draw back to opinion building in the North. A few weeks back IG wala posted the killings in Nassarawa state at a time the print media were completely unaware.I contacted NEMA and they contacted the DPO of that area..all these were publicized on my wall.The response was that it was a rumour and we should desist from rumours…in the following 24 hrs the killings were suddenly found to be true and the papers were awash with pictures and comments. IG Wala now lamented the negative impact of the media in the north and inaccuracy (sometimes deliberate according to him) Lawantis post takes this a little further but this time it is personality based.This does not reduce the importance of the path that has been identified.The need for independent reporting and opinion sharing among the northern youths. Some youths have already formed discussion circles on line..Currently this is being done at the state levels…but it must go further dowm to LGA..to functions…to persons in posts. Each and every handset whether in Arabic or Hausa;Fulani;English must be seen as a weapon for the peoples minds. The youth must see as many perspectives as possible and be well informed to form their own opinions. It will be a hard and long task but it will certainly work
Posted on: Sat, 13 Jul 2013 02:22:34 +0000