Legal luminary urges collaboration between journalists, lawyers for improve public access to information

 

By Okechukwu Onuegbu

A legal luminary, Mr Inibehe Effiong, has advocated for a collaboration between the journalists and lawyers for effective and improved public access to information dissemination.

Effiong, who is the principal counsel, Inibehe Effiong Chambers, Lagos, argued that when the bar and the newsroom relate effectively, it would be easier to navigate legal hurdles like the strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs).

He made the call at one-day training organised by the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) in collaboration with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) entitled newsrooms engagement on navigating legal challenges, laws that criminalise journalism and strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs).

The event held at the UNIZIK FM, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, was attended by the media managers and executives from the broadcast, digital and community based newspapers in Anambra State ( Southeast) and  Delta and Edo (South-South) regions.

According to him, newsrooms should engage the services of lawyers versed with the knowledge of media laws and ethics so they could easily make informed editorial policies and decisions especially while reporting on critical issues or human interests.

"Allow lawyers who have knowledge and interests on media laws to advice you. Don't just wait until you have lawsuits before you start seeking for their legal services. They can offer you legal advice on how to frame your news headlines, report critical issues and others.

"Avoid power brigade approach. The public have the right to know and nobody will stop you from informing them rightly. Also, always document your facts. Report accurately and refrain from spreading hate speeches and defamatory reports. Do not report if you do not have evidence to backup your facts," he added.

Also speaking, the Managing Editor, Premium Times newspaper, Mr Idris Akinbajo, added that aside been careful of media laws the journalists should always obey the extant laws of the land otherwise the government and unscrupulous elements could leverage on them to clampdown on their media.

Akinbajo argued that some of these laws are traffic laws and regulations, health policies and laws, registration and necessary filings with the CAC, payment of taxes and levies, including the land laws, noting that not obeying them could be counterproductive to journalists and media houses committed to investigative and critical journalism.

"We must remember that ignorance of the law is not an excuse. Therefore, you must obey the extant laws of the land. You must try to hold yourself accountable if you must hold the government accountable. Remember they have your records and can easily use them against you once you defaulted," he noted.

On her part, the Deputy Director, Journalism Programme, CJID,  Ms Busola Ajibola, who urged the newsroom to be careful of not exposing themselves to repression, further advocated for gender equality and creation of sexual harassment policies in the newsrooms.

The training also featured media executive dialogue and experience sharing on managing SLAPPs and other forms of repression ending with agreement on how the media could thrive through effective partnerships with the lawyers and civil society members.