The 2020 Bagauda Kaltho Memorial Media Lecture has been held with a warning to journalists across the globe to be more careful with the devices they use to avoid being tracked by security Operatives.
The Lecture with a theme ” Press Freedom vs. Digital Surveillance: How Safe is the African Journalist”, was organised by the Africa Media Development Foundation, AMDF, and held virtually with participants drawn from various countries including the United States, France, Nigeria, Somalia and the Cameroon.
The participants shared their experiences on the state of Press Freedom in their respective countries.
A US based journalist and CNN Global Affairs Analyst, Kimberly Dozier who spoke on the theme, narrated how she was investigated and monitored in the US and also trailed in other countries she had been to, by Intelligence Services.
Electronic devices, e-mail, text messages, WhatsApp and telegram, are also targets for penetration by Security Operatives, she emphasised.
The Executive Director of the Somaliland Journalists Association, Yahye Xanas highlighted the increase in violation of Press Freedom in his country.
Journalists in Somaliland, he explained, were ignorant of the cyber security or how they could be protected as they discriminately share their websites and other channels without knowing the implications of their action, while they were being monitored by the government.
His counterpart from Cameroon, Byong Blaise also disclosed that journalists including editors in that country know nothing about cyber security. “Most of us have no knowledge that our activities even at hotels and airports are monitored”, he said.
Blaise therefore suggested the need for journalists to be mindful of their environment, while trainings, seminars on Cyber security should be encouraged for journalists.
He attributed the absence of the said opportunities for journalists in Cameroon to lack of resources.
Blaise stated that the journalists hardly write anything about anti-terrorism laws in the country as they could be seen supporting terrorists.
On his part, the National Secretary of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Shuaibu Leman who spoke on awareness of cyber security among journalists in the country, reiterated the stance of the Union against the issue of Hate Speech championed by the government and which was being challenged.
He observed that the long tenure of the military rule in Nigeria, had engineered intolerance to freedom of speech.
Liman disclosed that the International Institute of Journalism, an arm of the Union, was poised to define its curriculum to include digital journalism, so as to acquaint journalists with cyber security.
The event featured presentation of two Courage in Journalism Award by AMDF to a France based media organisation, RADIO ARENA, established by an Eritrean purposely for the Eritreans, who are being denied of the freedom of expression.
The second was presented to The Gambian Journalist, Ndey Tapha Sosseh, who stayed for nine years in self-imposed exile in Mali, after been haunted by The Gambian authorities because of her struggle for Press Freedom.
