Senator Ben Murray Bruce has addressed the ills of online journalism which has been hijacked by unscrupulous politicians to tarnish the image of their opponents.
Bayelsa State Senator, Ben Murray Bruce, recently slammed Nigerian bloggers and online news websites when he advised President Buhari to be wary of news sites that have become a thorn in the flesh of governments at most levels. In his advice regarding the media, he blamed politicians who were greedy for leaking lies and half truths about themselves just to see the other outdone.
"In the last 16 years of civil rule, Nigerians have witnessed the rise of online news sites that have become a thorn in the flesh of governments at all levels because of the sensitive news, half truths and down right lies they sensationally publish. Nothing has distracted Nigerian governments over the years as these news outlets."
The Silverbird group boss also added, "They have also been assisted by print tabloids that call themselves news magazines but which publish sleaze instead of mainstream news. I can authoritatively state that much of the sensitive news that finds its way to these media emanate from competing ministers and infighting kitchen cabinet members struggling to outdo each other by secretly revealing embarrassing information about their colleagues to undermine their influence with the president.
Where they have no dirty laundry to air against their colleagues, they cook up lies and half truths and these websites, hungry for Internet traffic, and their print media colleagues desperate to increase circulation and advertising, publish these stories without verification which are then swallowed by an unwitting public hook, line and sinker."