It’s the duty of the media to always keep the masses informed about the happenings in the country and the world at large, knowing the news is very important which is why they have several hours during the day when they can give the news. That’s to show you just how vital it is. However, one thing is equally important; the method the news is delivered.
There is a way news will be delivered and it will spark up protest and tension all over the country, there is another way it will be delivered and things will be normal. We can’t help it, the media have mastered just how to tell the news and they know just what they’re doing.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve always watched the news. Even when I didn’t want to. As a child, my parents loved watching the news. Back then, every evening from 7 o’clock, it was always a news marathon. From AIT to Channels and Silverbird and NTA. It never stopped until they got sleepy. I didn’t like it because I usually only wanted to watch movies, but my parents decided what we got to watch, so if they said it was the news, then it was the news.
But then, as I grew older, I started to see the allure of watching the news. Now, while I don’t actively sit down to watch it, I prefer to allow it to play in the background. Instead of playing music, I’ll put on the news and ‘listen’ to it while I go about my chores. I also took an interest in other forms of news like politics, crime watch, and business news. During the pandemic, I so much loved business news that I watched it every day just to be up to date with the money happenings in my country and around the world. So much so that when I missed any, I went to YouTube to watch the recap. That’s how intense it was. And still is.
But then, can we really trust what the traditional media tells us? Honestly, in my opinion, we can’t really trust everything they tell us. They will always be lacking because they all belong to a commission that can be sanctioned if they dare report the wrong kind of news. I once heard of a TV station being fined millions of naira for interviewing someone who said something they considered offensive. All their penalties are severe and if you keep getting them, they could end up crippling the station.
Besides, for your TV station to be successful, you need the backing of the government. If you’re in their bad graces, you could very well be in a lot of trouble. As a result, all stations are very careful of the kind of information they disburse. Despite how much they clamor for freedom of the press, we all know that the press isn’t really free, they can only say what the government allows them to.
But then, that’s where social media comes in. Traditional media tells you what the government wants you to hear, social media tells you what the people have to say. If not for social media, we would not know so many things because the government would succeed in stifling anything at all that didn’t agree with them. However, these days, anyone can be an armature reporter. All you need is to take out your phone and start recording, then post it online. The internet will do the rest.
When people say that you can’t trust social media for real news, I just chuckle. You can’t trust traditional media either. But then, it’s easy to spread false information online, some messages are spread for the sole purpose of causing panic and mayhem among the citizens. But this is why I watch both traditional media and social media. I follow both of them religiously, especially X formerly known as Twitter.
Many times, if I just want to have an idea of what is happening, I just check the trending page on X and it tells me everything I want to know. Simple as that, later on, I watch the news, and at the end of the day, I filter everything and try to figure out what is real.
So, do I feel that we should always get the news regardless of the consequences? I feel that it would be best if we get it, when you’re informed, you’ll be in a better position to perform or prepare for whatever may occur. Taking that away takes people’s chance away and when it does happen, things will happen! But then, what about some news that will definitely cause panic?
What if a TV station suddenly announces that a deadly team of bandits is on their way to attack the town you live in? What do you think everyone in your town will do?? Run away of course, however, in that confusion and panic, the bandits might take advantage to cause mayhem. However, not delivering that info, would cause everyone to remain calm and the Police and Army would focus on trying to thwart the plans of the bandit.
So yeah, maybe it’s good not to tell us everything. The government knows just what to tell the people to keep things sane because if everyone panics, it always turns into destruction and chaos. At this point, I don’t even know what I will do. I guess each scenario is unique and different, so it requires its own decision-making. But no pressure, the government has got you. And social media has got you.
247 news is at your fingertips. Never forget!
