MSG charges governments on media freedom

FOUR media support groups (MSG) have called on Federal and State Governments to take urgent measures to ensure media freedom and the safety of journalists in Nigeria, saying the deteriorating state of media freedom in country is potentially harmful to its system of democratic governance.

The groups:  Media Rights Agenda (MRA) and Global Rights: Advocates for Sustainable Justice, in collaboration with the International Press Centre (IPC) and the Centre for Media and Society (CEMESO), in a statement, stressed the vital role that the media play in promoting transparency, accountability, good governance, and democracy.

According to the groups, they would be organising an event, expected to feature media stakeholders, drawn from among journalists and editors, media owners and managers, civil society organisations, the academia and others, participating physically and virtually.

The event, they stated would provide a platform for sharing of experiences by journalists, who have faced various forms of attacks, a presentation on the importance of counselling for journalists who have been victims of attacks, as well as presentations on various civil society efforts to ensure the safety of journalists and protect media freedom, which are designed to strengthen the media as they strive to promote democracy, human rights, and social justice.

“A separate event will be hosted in Abuja by Global Rights in collaboration with MRA and the International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR),” the group also stated.

The event will identify global best practices that create a conducive and enabling environment for the press and share experiences of how they can be domesticated in a way that makes them more easily accessible to journalists and other media professionals in Nigeria.

Commenting on the collaborative efforts by the various organisations, Executive Director of MRA, MrAdetaenOjo said the aim of the event is to reaffirm the group’s commitment to upholding the fundamental principles of free speech, independent journalism, and the protection of press freedoms worldwide knowing that a free and independent media is the oxygen of democracy.

“We are determined to work with like-minded individuals and organisations towards the emergence of an environment where media professionals can carry out their professional functions without fear or intimidation and where the media can realise its true purpose,” he stated.

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