The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, on Wednesday, asked the Cable News Network, CNN, an international cable television channel, to present evidence to authenticate its story, where it alleges that soldiers massacred #ENDSARS protesters at Lekki Toll gate, on 20th October 2020.
Mohammed equally noted that CNN violated the basic principles of journalism – fairness, and balance, as according to him, the reputable organization was caught spreading fake news without proper investigation.
During an interview on Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), Mohammed had challenged CNN to provide evidence of dead bodies allegedly killed by soldiers.
“What we are asking CNN is that where is your evidence? Where are the bodies?”. His words: “It shows that they (CNN) are desperate. The so-called recent development has been seen before. There is nothing new. If there is anything new, it is a contradiction of CNN’s position. What we are asking CNN is that where is your evidence? Where are the bodies? The military has been consistent. CNN contravenes the basic principles of journalism – fairness, and balance. They did the story without contacting the Federal Government for its own side. They relied on second and third parties narratives. “They (CNN) were caught spreading fake news and they are trying to escape. We are accusing them (CNN) of basing their stories on videos sourced on social media. CNN has been inconsistent. It also doctored the video it got. We are confident in our position”.
SOURCE: VANGUARD
