A civil society organization in Nigeria, Media Rights Agenda (MRA) has condemned some laws enacted during the colonial and military era with little or no modifications that are still used in the democratic dispensation to intimidate and repress journalists and the media in the country.
MRA at the end of a two-day media workshop on “Laws Affecting the Media and Safety of Journalists in Nigeria” held in Enugu identified the ‘Official Secrets Act of 1962; the Nigeria Press Council Act of 1992, as amended; and the National Broadcasting Commission Act of 1992, as amended as some of such laws.
Other laws, according to the communiqué include the Criminal Code Act, which creates offenses such as criminal defamation, publication of false news, defamation of persons exercising sovereign authority over a state, provoking breach of peace by offensive publication, an insult to a religion, obscene publications, and seditious publications, among others.
The communique further observed that the Federal Government’s recently enacted Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act of 2015, as amended, has become a potent instrument for public office holders, politicians, and other powerful members of society who frequently misuse and abuse the law to harass, intimidate, and repress journalists and the media, thereby stifling media freedom.
The communiqué read partly: “Over the years, many laws enacted during military rule and some others that have their origins in the colonial era have continued to be enforced under a democratic dispensation and used intermittently to harass, intimidate and repress journalists and the media. Only a few of such laws have undergone some minor modifications, but they remain largely restrictive towards the media sector and journalists”.
Participants encouraged journalists to adopt security measures to protect themselves, their sources of information, and their devices and professional equipment from malicious actors, as well as from governments, law enforcement, security, and intelligence agencies, who are already operating in a hostile digital environment.
The communiqué advised that: “Media organizations should adopt digital security policies and implement protocols for detecting and mitigating internal and external threats to their information and data, including by undertaking regular audits of access to sensitive data and the enforcement of strict access control mechanisms.
“Journalists should routinely and regularly back up their data to guard against malware, ransomware, hardware failures, and other potential disruptions. Both online and offline backup protocols and strategies should be adopted and implemented to minimize the possibility of loss or corruption of their data and ensure rapid recovery in the event of data loss due to cyber-attacks or any other attack”.
The workshop sessions covered topics such as national, regional, and international frameworks on freedom of expression, media freedom, and the safety of journalists; legal frameworks that are inimical to media freedom; digital security and common digital threats to journalism practice; ethics in journalism practice; understanding the Freedom of Information Act, 2011; how to avoid legal liabilities as journalists; how to protect the information, systems, confidential sources and contacts; and avenues for journalists to obtain legal and litigation support.
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