President Bola Tinubu on Thursday warned Nigerian journalists and media organisations against clickbait, fake news and sensational reporting, saying the growing spread of misinformation and disinformation poses a serious threat to democracy and national stability.
Speaking at the maiden State House Media Dinner in Abuja, Tinubu said the media must choose “substance over sensation” and “credibility over clickbait,” stressing that press freedom must go hand in hand with responsibility, professionalism and accuracy.
“We live in an era where misinformation and disinformation travel faster than facts. The media must choose fact over falsehood. The media must choose substance over sensation. The media must choose credibility over clickbait,” the President said.
Tinubu said while he remains a strong supporter of a free press, freedom of expression must not be used to spread falsehood or deliberately mislead the public.
“Freedom of expression is not freedom to defame. Freedom of the press is not freedom to deliberately mislead,” he said.
The President said the relationship between government and the media would always be defined by scrutiny and tension in a democracy, with government expected to act and explain, while the media questions and holds those in power accountable.
“Government must act. The media must watch. Government must explain. The media must question,” he said.
Tinubu also expressed concern over the rise of fake news, deepfakes, voice cloning and other forms of digital manipulation, warning journalists not to become “willing couriers of falsehood or unverified information” capable of harming national security.
He said professional journalism must remain the standard for separating truth from rumour and facts from speculation, especially in an era where social media has blurred the line between verified reporting and viral content.
The President also used the occasion to defend his administration’s reform agenda, saying the economy is stabilising, public revenues have improved, investor confidence is returning and key sectors are beginning to recover.
On security, he said military operations had intensified, intelligence gathering had improved and security agencies were recording gains against terrorism, banditry, kidnapping and oil theft.
Tinubu urged the media to embrace professionalism over outrage and constructive engagement over hostility, saying both government and the press have a shared responsibility to strengthen democracy and serve the Nigerian people.
“Let us replace sensationalism with professionalism. Let us replace the pursuit of outrage with the pursuit of truth,” he said.