Beyond Misinformation: Survival Alternatives for Nigerian Media in the “Post-Truth” Era

Abstract

An enduring democracy is anchored on a strong information base and media are seen as one of the most important allies of the democratic process. However, media in Nigeria have been accused of being used as agents of misinformation through the disseminating of ideologically laden contents aimed at deceiving gullible members of the public. From pre-independence, through independence to the post-independence era, the story has been the same. In the era of social media, a period that is labelled as the “post-truth” era, misinformation within the media sphere is even more rife as the mainstream media, in collaboration with some elements within the social media arena, circulate outright lies, half-truths, hoaxes, propaganda, and all manner of fake news. This paper examines how a community of journalists and a community of media users in Nigeria perceive the post-truth era and identifies how media can be better positioned for their democratic roles at a time when people are rising against fact and truth.