The theme of the lecture was: “Cultivating A Media Literacy Society: A Value Driven Approach To Addressing Mis/Disinformation Among The Youth.”
Peters said that an increased media literacy would help to address misinformation and disinformation in the country.
“In an age where information flows ceaselessly and the boundaries between the truth and misinformation are increasingly blurred, media literacy has become a critical skill for all members of society,” he said.
The VC, who was represented by Dr Gregory Okagbare, Director, Academic Planning, NOUN, noted that media literacy was not just about discerning fact from fiction but understanding the nature of media messages.
Peters added that media literacy involves understanding the motivations behind media messages and their potential impact on human thoughts and actions.
He regretted the rapid spread of misinformation, disinformation and fake news in the country.
This, he said, posed significant challenges to public opinion, societal norms and even political outcomes.
“It involves the ability to critically analyse content, understand the difference between news and opinion and recognise biases and underlying agendas.
“As we move forward in this digital era, media literacy is not just a skill; it is a necessity.
“By fostering a media-literate society, we can ensure that individuals are better equipped to navigate the complexities of the modern media landscape, make informed decisions and contribute positively to public discourse.
“I want to commend the department for this initiative as the topic is of immense importance in an age where information flows ceaselessly and the boundaries between the truth and misinformation are increasingly blurred.
“This is why media literacy has become a critical skill for all members of society,” Peters said.
Dr Chido Onumah, a representative from the Media and Information Literacy and Intercultural Dialogue Foundation, the Guest lecturer, said misinformation and disinformation were recipes for anarchy.
Onumah, however, said that media and information literacy must come to the rescue and form a critical part of national development for the country to overcome fake news.
He said that misinformation and disinformation were enabled through technology, adding that there was a need to counter the misinformation warfare in Nigeria.
He urged the government to introduce curriculum in schools and universities on the usage of digital tools and media literacy to counter misinformation and disinformation.
“Disinformation itself is a subset of misinformation; the difference basically is that when you misinform someone, you don’t have any harmful intent and may not be aware, but when you disinform, you are deliberately spreading misinformation and false news.
“So, disinformation is to deliberately mislead or dish out biased information, manipulated narratives of facts and propaganda, many of which we see during election circles.
“High media literacy leads to increase in the media quality because such individuals require more realistic messages of higher quality.
“A lot of people say let’s make laws to stop fake news but our position is that we can’t legislate our way out of this problem; the way out of it is education.
“If the government decide to jail citizens for 15 years for sharing fake news, how will you arrest everyone that shared the fake news?
“So, the easier route to travel is to educate and inform people to keep improving their knowledge just as technology is expanding.
“That is the only way we can overcome this challenge,” he said.
Onumah urged the government to take action on growing incidents of misinformation and disinformation and collaborate with schools, media houses and other institutions for a more informed society.
Another lecturer, Prof.Chidinma Onwubere, a former Head, Mass Communication Department who focused on gender bias, said women with poor MIL were more susceptible to believing and spreading fake news.
Onwubere called on the government to enact policies that could have a positive effect on MIL on women.
She said that women with Media and Information Literacy (MIL) knowledge cannot easily succumb to online threats.
“They can easily engage in e-commerce, participate in the digital economy and can also understand their rights.”
Speaking earlier, Dr Lateef Adelakun, Head of Department, Mass Communication, NOUN, said there was a need for a better understanding and proper assessment of the media contents due to the trend of media abuse.
Adelakun urged the Nigerian government to establish an International Media and Information Literacy institute to ensure a media and information literate society.
He said the twitter ban in 2021 by the Nigerian government due to its abuse by some users, rekindled the interest and effort of the department in relaunching and expanding the scope of the media and information literacy course.
“It is on this note that governments, professionals, agencies and institutions should embrace the concept and the global agenda of Media and Information Literacy.
“The Mass Communication department sees this avenue as the best option to key into the global trend, hence the essence of this institute.
“Some may ask, “How am I concerned with the programme of the Institute, after all I am a professor?
“Only when you gauge your media and information literacy rate, then you will realise that you are among the primary target for the programmes of the institute.
“The objective of the institute is to care for the public needs and massive requests for the media and information literacy education, information awareness and consciousness to have an informed society,” Adelakun said.
