| Abstract: |
The spread of fake news and misinformation has become a serious challenge in
today's digital world, especially in Nigeria where social media is widely used for
news consumption. This study investigates the role of Nigerian journalists in
combating fake news and misinformation in the digital age, with focus on
journalists working at DITV, Kaduna and Nagarta Radio Kaduna. The study
adopted a Survey research design, using structured questionnaire to collect data. A
census sampling technique was used, involving 43 journalists from DITV, Kaduna
and Nagarta Radio, Kaduna. Data were analyzed using simple percentage and
frequency. The findings revealed that 90.7% of the respondents identifed fake news
and misinformation as a major problem in Nigeria. The study further discovered
that 95.3% of the journalists use social media in their work, making them highly
exposed to unverified information. To address this challenge, 97.3% of them
reported using fact-checking tools before broadcasting news. Among these tools,
News Guard (48.8%) was the most frequently used. Fact-checking was considered
crucial, as 48.8% of the respondents rated it as most important in their journalistic
practice. In addition, 51.1% of them agreed that the spread of fake news and
misinformation negatively affects the credibility of journalism in Nigeria. The
study also found that journalists rely heavily on professional verification strategies,
with 53.5% using multiple credible sources to confirm information before
dissemination. Despite these efforts, major challenges were identified, including
the rapid spread of misinformation on social media (62.7%). Furthermore, 76.7% of
the respondents had received training on fact-checking tools. However, 100%
agreed that there is need for more training and capacity-building programs to
strengthen journalists' ability to combat fake news effectively. Regular training, improved access to digital verification tools, collaboration with fact-checking
organizations and increased efforts to promote media literacy among the public
were recommended. The theories adopted were Gatekeeping Theory and Agenda
Setting Theory. |
