Nigeria, April 22 -- The recent media scuffle between Nigeria's minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, and Borno State governor, Babagana Umara Zulum, underscores the dangers of sensational headlines and misinformation in shaping public discourse and distorting reality.

Governor Zulum, in a surprising public outburst, labelled a federal minister as "naive," among other unflattering terms, based on a misrepresented media report. While Minister Idris commendably chose not to respond in kind, the incident raises serious concerns about the media literacy of public officials - especially in the context of sensitive national security matters. More troubling is the way this controversy injects politicised narratives i...