Stop Amplifying Terror: A Demand for Responsible Media and Public Commentary
By Dr. John Akindele Omirinde
Public discourse on national security must be responsible and constructive. To those who lack substantive solutions to the existential threats of kidnapping, banditry, and terrorism, I urge you to refrain from distracting our security agencies and the Federal Government with inflammatory public commentary that inadvertently amplifies the notoriety of these criminals.
Furthermore, there is a critical and urgent need for enhanced security awareness within our media landscape. A concerning trend has emerged where a combination of uninformed individuals, vendetta-driven narratives, and a profit-seeking sensationalist press blurs the line between constructive journalism and what amounts to crass support for terrorist propaganda.
I have long held that responsible media should starve terrorists and criminals of the oxygen of publicity, as denying them fame is a key strategy in making their heinous “profession” unattractive.
Disturbingly, what we witness today is the opposite: certain audio-visual outlets and tabloids, whether through compound ignorance or deliberate idiocy, effectively celebrate these felons, detailing their actions in ways that glamorize terror.
This dangerous practice must stop. It is incumbent upon our security agencies to enforce this standard by identifying and making explicit examples of those individuals and organizations whose reckless reporting crosses the line into endangering national security. The law must be applied to deter this negligent amplification of violence and protect the integrity of our collective safety.
Dr. John Akindele Omirinde writes from UK
