The Dangers of Unfiltered News: A Personal Perspective on Information Control

When it comes to human rights, it's ideal for everyone to have access to information about happenings in and around them so they can use it to determine what to do in certain situations. However, the world is occupied by different sets of people who handle information differently, and because of that, it'll be wise of leaders and people with such information to know what and what to make public when it comes to news publications. As for my opinion on this subject matter, I'll tell you what it's and why as you read along.

You see, I'm a big fan of news; in fact, a day will hardly go by without me finding information about what's going on around me, in my country, and in the world at large. As we all know, information is power, and you can only make such information power when you've access to it. That's why I usually go for it, either to be aware of happenings or to stay updated about things and the like, so I won't be a victim of misinformation.

But then, even though information gives power in terms of awareness, it can also give power that can put the country in jeopardy and chaos, leading to unrest and the like, and that's why I personally believe not all information is meant to be accessible to the citizens because some of it can lead to insurgency and conflict within the people, some could instigate violence that causes more havoc than expected, and that's why such information shouldn't be let out to the general public.

Now, I understand such an act could as well be tagged as conceiving the truth, but then won't it be better to conceive the truth and live in harmony than to let out the car from the bag and turn the environment into a den of unrest and chaos? This might not be understood by many, so I'll give an example for better understanding, and hopefully you'll see this in the same light as I do and understand my point.

When I was in junior secondary school in Lagos, on one faithful day, there was a wide spread of news that some northerners were killing westerners who resided in their territory there in the north. I guess some misunderstanding led to that riot and killing, and before you knew it, most people started calling their relatives who were there to please come back home. To cut a long story short, out of anger and a quest to retaliate, some of the westerners who heard that news decided to start killing the northerners who reside here in the west as well.

It was a very terrible day and one of the most terrible sights I've ever beheld in my life to date. Out of anger over that news, both in the north and in the west, there arose a tribal conflict that led to killings. That very day I was in school, and by the time we're close, the street is already filled with so many dead bodies of people who were either killed by stabbing or burned alive. I was terrified by that sight, and even though I was much younger then, I know now that what caused all of that chaos and killing was the information that spread.

If the government tried to curb such information from spreading and find a way to settle the misunderstanding in the first place it erupts, we wouldn't have such destruction of lives and property as we did that very day. There was no vehicle to convey us that day, and we had to trek about 12 kilometers, seeing dead bodies in almost every junction and with our hands raised up because by then the soldiers had come around to restore peace and curb the ongoing unrest that led to the deaths of many, including children and adults.

Now that situation shows the danger some news and information can pose to the community and people at large, and that's why it's always wise to withhold some, especially once that can cause chaos, but if it's news that can be of help or benefit the citizens, then it's fine to share with everyone. All in all, I personally think those in power should use their discretion as they evaluate each news item, and then they can decide if it's worthy of sharing with all or not.

There's this proverb, or should I say adage in Yoruba, that eni sango ba ti oju e wole, koni ba wan bu oba Koso. What it means is that whoever witnessed when the gods of lighting and thunder fought won't join others to abuse the king Koso. In a nutshell, whoever has witnessed the advent and dangers widespread information can cause to the people won't ever clamor for such to happen or for information to go across. Well, that's my understanding of the adage.

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*All photos are taken and edited on canva.

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