On safety of journalists

THAT some journalists have been killed during elections in Nigeria is public knowledge. And this detracts from us as a country in the eyes of the international community. It seems that the government has not made necessary provisions for the safety of journalists in Nigeria, including enlightenment programmes for members of the public about the activities and importance of journalists. The need to protect journalists during and after the elections seems not well publicised, and it seems that security agencies are not doing enough to protect them. The safety of journalists during and after elections is the responsibility of all and sundry. Media organisations are recognised by the Nigerian constitution. Press freedom has become increasingly threatened as cases of murdered journalists have remained unresolved. This negates the provisions of the constitution which guarantee press freedom. Section 39 (1) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) says: “Every person shall be entitled to freedom of expression, including freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impact ideas and information without interference.”

Sub-section 2 says every person shall be entitled to own, establish and operate any medium for the dissemination of information, ideas and opinions. Despite this, however, 13 Nigerian journalists were killed in 2012 alone in active service, making it the highest in the history of the country since independence in 1960. Journalists are meant to protect the interests of the public; they are to observe, investigate and report the activities of the general public and government; journalists should be seen as friends of the nation, not enemies, they bring information that can help to build a sound mind and enrich the nation, in this case their hope should not be dashed.

Former Secretary General of the United Nations (UN), Ban Ki-Moon, in one of his messages in 2013, called on governments, societies and individuals to do their utmost to protect all journalists. He noted that the United Nations system had established a Plan of Action on the safety of journalists. The plan aimed to raise awareness and support practical steps to create a free and safe work environment for journalists. Government, societies and individuals should do their best to protect all journalists, including those in the new media. Everyone has a voice and all must be able to speak freely and safely. Over the past decade, more than 600 journalists have been killed, at least 120 in the past year alone. Hundreds of journalists have been detained illegally in the past with many of the culprits escaping any form of punishment. An assault on journalists is an assault on the rights of all people of truth. Attacks on journalists are not only physical: they include cyber bullying. The high and mighty deploy numerous weapons to try and stop the media from performing its duties, which is reporting the truth.

• Effects of social media

Freedom of expression is a fundamental human right enshrined in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that was adopted by United Nations (UN) on 10th December, 1948. It is a cornerstone of good governance, sustainable development and lasting peace and security. Everyday around the world, journalists and media workers come under attack; they face intimidation, threats and violence from governments, corporations, criminals or other forces that wish to silence them.  The legal basis for journalism practice in Nigeria is enshrined in section 39 (1) and (2) of the 1999 Constitution. Sub-section (1) says,“Every person shall be entitled to freedom of expression, including freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart ideas and information without interference.”

The world is now a global village; everybody can sit in the comfort of their homes and begin to pass information and receive information. This is a huge advantage to the business of journalism. Associations like the Guild of Editors, the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) and others exist because journalism is a liberal profession. It is very difficult to identify a fake journalist because the only way we can say someone is a fake journalist is if the claim they give with respect to where they work is found to be false. Otherwise, there are a lot of people out there that are actually practicing journalism and it is so difficult to identify them with any media organisations. The Nigerian constitution says that every person shall be entitled to own, establish and operate any medium for the dissemination of information, ideas and opinions. Journalism is a practice that is so encompassing: journalists operate practically from everywhere, and some people believe that the media contributes to its negative image because some journalists collect bribes in order to hide, distort or manipulate information that can benefit the general public. The relationship between the media and the law enforcement agencies on many occasion is not cordial. Some of those who harass journalists are yet to be punished by the relevant authorities. In order to move forward, the police and the media need to engage each other, setting up a partnership that must be cultivated.

There must be a new orientation with mutual respect for each other. Journalists and the law enforcement agents must abide by their professional ethics. The orientation of the Nigerian media has to change from being an adversary to law enforcement agencies. The media has a history of crusades in Nigeria, but the specter of violence over journalism has changed the dynamics of the practice as truth, fairness, objectivity and a host of other values. Deaths, threat to lives and beatings have become recurring decimals in journalism while fear is not too far away anymore from the newsrooms.

There is nothing in the history of journalism that can demand more of our collective efforts than providing a safe and secure environment for the practice of journalism, past experiences rest on this, the present realities demand it and the future of the profession requires it. When people who are not party to conflicts are gruesomely murdered for reporting the events and affairs of people, it only stands to reason that truth is more than endangered. The specter of the danger against journalists and journalism has even been raised much higher to include those sharing information. Extending the boundaries of intimidation and harassment to include online reports, a lot of the liberties that are available online would also be trampled upon and when people do not have access to accurate information, the nation and society at large would be in shackles of darkness!

• Olorunda is on the staff of the Nigerian Tribune