By Ediale Kingsley
” Wonders will never end”
” Bros we have had that line over and over again. Talk something new”
” Okay have you also heard that Ani Iyoho was not roasted by Stanlee Ohikhuare as it was reported by the media?”
“You don come again o. Who be Ani Iyoho and why do you think I waste my time reading stories from all these emergency bloggers”
” What if I shock you that Channels Television, Silver Bird Television and some other serious news platform lifted such uncomfirmed reports?”
“For real? Now you are talking something serious. Kindly fill me in properly”
“Fill you in? I thought you said your trusted media keeps you abreast with authentic news and information?”
” Stop talking like that big mouthed politician joor. Fill me in”
” Which politician? Hope you are not comparing me with the liar that said he has created a multi billion naira export market for our local vegetable, the Ugu leaves?”
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“Na my mouth you wan hear say the cowboy ex president don finally launch his Ogogoro brewery? Abeg leave matter for Matthias, tell me about this Ani Iyoho story”
” Okay I will tell you. It was reported by a section of the media that a stunt went wrong in a movie titled Behind The Wheels caused the stuntman to be roasted like a chiken. But the media that went on to use the story without any form of investigation or confirmation ended up looking like a cow”
“So meaning the news was fake?”
” Yes o. The brilliant movie director and his team only wanted to draw the attention of the society to the norm that may cripple our future”
“I see. You mean the norm of every body looking for and assimilating bad news with out confirming the facts from the fabrications”
” Exactly”
“But whose fault. Isn’t the media suppose to be the trusted fourth estate. The watch dog”
” Yeah, but some are too busy looking for clicks and traffic. Others are too poor to investigate”
“So this Stanlee punked the world and went away with it? What if the fans and family of Ani Iyoho got troubled by the initial sad news? What if someone got a heart attack from the April-fool-in-July stunt?”
” Well, it was a litmus test I personally feel would benefit the greater numbers. I am less bothered about the petty costs”
” I get you. Now the world would pause and think before they swallow every news dipped in honey”
” Yes and the media guys will put in extra care to confirm stories before they publish.”
” Good one. Now tell me something about the movi”
” Behind the wheels is a story that seeks to paint the Tanker driver in good light before the society, carefully exposing the life behind the man we see behind the steering wheels. Tanker drivers have always been seen in a negative light, and this story seeks to cause a paradigm change as well as serve as the crying voice of the Tanker driver who constantly rings out in search of help from the government, his employer and the society”