National Broadcasting Commission Goes After Arise TV, AIT, Channels TV for Using Unverified Online Footages

The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) on Monday fined Arise Tv, African Independent Television (AIT) and Channels Television about N3 million each for violating the commission broadcasting codes during the #EndSARS protest that rocked the nation in this past week.

The commission accused the television stations of using unverified online video footages on their respective platforms.

The Acting Director-General of the commission, Mr Armstrong Idachaba, said the fines were the initial warning before a heavier santion will be imposed on the stations for gross defiance of the commission broadcasting codes.

The three stations were fined for their alleged roles in escalating the violence that rocked the nation last week by airing various unverified online images of shootings of peaceful protesters at Lekki Toll Gate by securitity operatives in army uniforms.

Idachaba alleged that “Channels Television, Arise TV and AIT especially continued to transmit footages obtained from unverified and unauthenticated social media sources, adding that the pictures stimulated anger and heightened the violence that was witnessed during the crisis.”

He stated: “We believe the whole country has now seen why the spurious and recklessness on the social media must not be patronised by the mainstream traditional media. We are at the stage of our nation’s history when our broadcasters have a crucial responsibility for responsive and professional broadcasting. By picking unverified, unsubstantiated social media sources and repeating the narratives, our broadcasters have shown crass lack of professionalism and a disposition to be escalators of conflict and, more seriously, a threat to Nigeria. Look at the level of damage, killings that have happened on account of unverifiable reports”.

He described the situation as disagrceful were traditional broadcast stations turned themeselves to social media pundits, using a video footage from a DJ as news source.

“Where is the authenticity, where is the credibility,” he queried.

He, therefore, said “It is beginning to look as if it is a deliberate ploy, so the option available is to shut down the industry but that is not the position of the government. Left for me, I would have considered some of that portion We decided to categorise the offence as Category B offence but it is easily escalated to A and A will be a shutdown. But we still pin it down to B, which is a heavy fine between N500,000 to N5 million and none of them will pay less than N2 million but any further breach will lead to the withdrawal of the licence,” he warned.