Partnering with the MacArthur Foundation and the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ), the Media Rights Agenda (MRA) has called for enhanced legal safeguards to protect Nigerian journalists from harassment and intimidation.
Under the Collaborative Media Engagement for Development, Inclusion and Accountability (CMEDIA), the two-day workshop with participants and facilitators had journalists proposing capacity building and training programmes for judges, judicial officers as well as prosecutors on media laws and their role in democracy.
At the workshop, MRA’s Executive Director, Edetaen Ojo, stressed that media freedom, a key pillar of democracy, must be protected in Nigeria to ensure journalists can work without fear of intimidation or interference by state powerful individuals and entities.
He said though the 1999 Constitution, as amended, broadly guarantees freedom of expression, there is an urgent need for enhanced legal frameworks to specifically protect journalists and media outlets from all forms of attacks.
He said, “The media plays a critical role in ensuring accountability, transparency, and good governance. Accordingly, all stakeholders, including the government, judiciary, civil society organizations, and the media community, should work collaboratively to create a legal environment that supports a free, independent and professional media sector.
“Although the 1999 Constitution, as amended, broadly guarantees freedom of expression, there is an urgent need for enhanced legal frameworks to specifically protect media freedom and ensure the safety of journalists and media outlets from all forms of attacks, including arbitrary arrests and detention, physical violence, criminal trials, among others.
“The increasing misuse and abuse of some laws, such as the Cybercrimes Act, Criminal Defamation Laws, and provisions under the Terrorism (Prevention) Act to silence, harass, intimidate or punish journalists and other media professionals who report on sensitive issues like corruption, abuse of power, poor governance practices, and human rights violations, among others, is extremely concerning and should be checked.
“Such laws should either be repealed outright or amended to bring them into conformity with regional and international norms and standards for the protection of media freedom and to prevent their continued abuse and misuse as tools of repression against the media”.
Speaking on digital security, MRA Program officer, Esther Adeyemi emphasized the need for journalists to protect the confidentiality of their sources stating “With the growing risks involved in engaging in the digital space, journalists must adopt best security practices to safeguard themselves and digital assets from malicious actors, also journalists must be security conscious and put mechanisms in place to address threats to confidentiality, integrity, and availability of data.”
Also, Adams Timileyin a co-MRA program officer urged participants to adopt the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) 2011, as a tool which enhances journalist reportage on government activities.
Though the 2011 FOIA has made some positive impact in facilitating access to information, which is vital for investigative journalism as well as routine reporting by the media, Timeleyin said challenges, including bureaucratic delays and the persistent culture of secrecy within the Government and its institutions, continue to impede the full and effective implementation of the Law.
He noted that the Act was yet to fulfil its main purpose, which is to make information more freely available to the public.
He said, “According to the provisions of the Act, public institutions must respond to applications for information within 7 days whether or not they are granting access to the information requested.
“A public institution may refuse an application for access to information if it is relying upon one or more of the exemptions contained in Sections: 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, 17, 19 and 26 of the Act. In refusing the application, the institution must issue a refusal notice clearly stating
the exemption(s) it has relied on, and the reasons why it considers that the exemption(s) apply.
“A refusal notice should be issued as soon as possible and not later than 7 days from the receipt of an application under the Act (Section 4)”.
NGOs Call for Legal Reforms To Protect Journalists from Harassment is first published on NewsNGR Newspaper