Participants at the 5th Bagauda Kaltho Media Lecture have advocated an International Platform that would make lawyers available for journalists and media organisations that are prosecuted Unlawfully.
While calling for dedicated laws that will protect journalists to make them perform their assigned constitutional responsibility, the Participants also stressed the need for the provision of a “Safe Space” for Journalists to access help, legal or professional support.
These are parts of a Communique issued at the end of the media lecture held via zoom Tuesday September 23, 2023, organised by the Africa Media Development Foundation, AMDF to immortalize a corageous and fearless Nigerian Journalist, James Bagauda Kaltho who disappeared between late 1996 and 1997 because of his professional calling.
The lecture themed “Press Freedom, Laws and Policies In Africa: Upholding or Undermining Journalism Practice, featured participants from Nigeria, Somalia, Burundi, Ghana and Sierra Leone.
The Communique which was signed by Sola Ojo of Nigeria, Thibilisse Nkurunziza of Burundi and Boi Beatrice of Sierra Leone,
stressed the need to strike a balance between press freedom, press regulation, and responsible journalism if the profession should fulfill its responsibility of protecting the national interest.
HERE UNDER IS THE FULL TEXT OF THE COMMUNIQUE
COMMUNIQUE ISSUED AT THE END OF THE FIFTH BAGAUDA KALTHO MEDIA LECTURE HELD VIA ZOOM ON TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 19, 2023
The Bagauda Kaltho Memorial Media Lecture Series, is organized by the Africa Media Development Foundation (AMDF) to immortalize James Baguada Kaltho Nigerian journalist who disappeared between late 1996 and early 1997 because of his journalism work. Until his disappearance, he was a courageous and fearless investigative journalist.
AMDF is a media development organization that supports media and sustainable development initiatives.
Preamble
The theme of the lecture for this year was
Press Freedom Laws and Policies in Africa: Upholding or undermining journalism practice” and was anchored by the Faculty Head, Kaduna Media Academy, Kaduna Northwest Nigeria, Ahmed Balarabe Sa’id.
The three Discussants were journalists from Nigeria, Burundi and Somalia; with Participants from across Nigeria and other African countries including Ghana and Sierra Leone.
In Africa, many areas of journalism have been criminalised in countries like Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, and Tanzania with the adoption of cybercrime laws which have been employed by State actors to silence critical journalists and content producers.
Several of these countries including Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa, and Nigeria have nearly doubled their laws on misinformation since 2016.
Killers of journalists in countries like Somalia, Burundi, DR Congo and Nigeria are rarely brought to book.
Journalists especially investigative ones in Burundi work in fear to avoid either being harassed, attacked, or jailed. As a result, Burundi has been trying to rearrange the way the media works.
Press Freedom is a pillar of any democratic society because it shapes public opinion thereby empowering them. It also helps put leaders in check.
There are a lot of ambiguities in the press regulation laws (Nigerian Press Council and National Broadcasting Commission) in Nigeria, leading to the interpretation of the same laws differently.
Attacks on journalists and media organisations in Nigeria are on the increase by ways of victimisation, gadget seizure, and destruction especially during elections.
The safety and security of journalists are very important not only in Nigeria but across the globe.
Resolutions:
From the foregoing, there is a need for dedicated laws that will protect journalists to make them perform their constitutionally provided responsibility.
Provision of a Safe Space for journalists to access help, legal or professional support.
Journalists’ capacity should be built around the issues they report.
There is a need to strike a balance between press freedom, press regulation, and responsible press journalism if journalism should fulfill its responsibility of protecting the national interest.
A free and responsible press is possible if self-regulation is strengthened. Need to develop and enforce a code of ethics and legal reforms that will address the ambiguity of laws.
In the face of citizen journalism, media literacy should be promoted to help citizens evaluate their thoughts, ideas, knowledge, etc. before going public.
Journalists must work in synergy to form a formidable force in such a way that their tormentors would think about the consequences of their actions if they attempt to harass a journalist or weaponising related laws against journalists.
There is a need for an international platform that will make lawyers available for journalists and media organisations that are being or may be persecuted unlawfully.
Journalists who understand how press freedom could help in doing their work better should participate in lawmaking either by becoming lawmakers or through lobbying, to review some of the existing laws being used against journalists.
Signed:
Sola Ojo
The Sun Newspaper
Nigeria
Thibilisse Nkurunziza
Shikiriza Newspaper
Burundi
Boi Beatrice Kenneh
Freetown Media Centre
Sierra Leone
