Abdulgafar Oladimeji
Journalists under the aegis of Sports Writers Association of Nigeria, SWAN Kano state chapter has cautioned its members to desist from whole reliance on social media handles for news articles from the venue of major sports competition involving Kano athletes.
The association in a communiqué issued on Sunday warned that the trend of dispatch of information from unqualified persons to sportswriters poses serious danger to the ethics of the profession, at this critical time when fake news reigns supreme.
SWAN Kano chapter stressed that the absence of trained journalists at the venue of national sporting events is a threat to sports journalism practice in Kano state, adding that the situation has continued to degenerate and denying the sports-loving people of Kano the opportunity to be fed with the true state of activities whenever the state sports teams travel outside the state for major events.
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The statement signed by the secretary, SWAN Kano state chapter, Abdulgafar Oladimeji said “as part of proactive measures, SWAN Kano state chapter want to appeal to our members in Kano to be wary of the information that originates from social media, to avoid misleading the public on the activities of Kano athletes when on assignment outside the state.
“ We are worried about the infiltration by quacks, likewise the trending attitude of using social media handles to send unverified information to our members from venues of major competitions outside the state.
“There is a deliberate approach by those who accompany these athletes to major events to feed SWAN Kano members with biased and fettered news articles.
“We appeal to stakeholders to ensure that they are accompanied by professional sportswriters, whenever their teams are participating in major sports competitions in and outside the state.” The statement stated.
The statement noted that the looming threat could be eschewed, if SWAN members pursue and secure advertorial sponsorship for their trips to cover major events, stating that this would empower journalists to report more objectively.
