International Press Institute (IPI) has equipped journalists with skills to produce hard-hitting contents that can outsmart Strategic Laws Against Public Participation (SLAPP) suits.
President of the IPI Nigeria, Musikilu Mojeed, spoke on this when he delivered an opening address at a training session for senior journalists in Kano on how to avoid SLAPP suits and remain ethical.
He lamented how journalists are routinely harassed, assaulted, arrested, detained, incarcerated and sometimes killed, making reference to the 2022 World Press Freedom Index by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) Nigeria which reports that Nigeria is ranked 129th out of 180 countries surveyed, scoring just 46.79 points.
Mojeed said the ranking described Nigeria as one of West Africa‘s most dangerous and difficult countries for journalists, who are often spied on, attacked, arbitrarily arrested or even killed.
But one of the biggest threats facing a number of key media organisations in the country at this time is the challenge of Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPP). These are lawsuits directed at media organisations or activists with the sole purpose of silencing them.
They typically involve a huge disparity in resources and the claimant’s tactic is to use the lawsuit, or threat of a lawsuit, to divert a journalist or media organisation’s resources,” a 2022 report by the National Endowment for Democracy noted.
“Cases are reported in increasing numbers across Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Americas. The damage done by SLAPPs is far-reaching and curbing it is an imperative for media freedom.
In Nigeria, a number of media outlets are being suffocated by SLAPP. In recent times, at least two journalists have been convicted for criminal defamation while two key independent media organisations have had their bank accounts frozen and their operations disrupted as a result of lawsuits.
While law reform is critical in Nigeria and other countries to solve the problem of SLAPP, IPI Nigeria believes that another sensible response to the challenge would be to equip journalists with the skills they need to produce hard-hitting contents that can outsmart legal challenges,“ he stated.
In his welcome address, the IPI Nigeria Board chairman, Malam Kabiru Yusuf, reiterated the need for journalists to remain upright as the fourth estate of the realm in giving Nigeria a direction out of the current hardship in the country.
He emphasised on the need to always do the right thing always to protect the reputation and character of the media which he said is defined by what it reports.
He called for a trust fund that will support journalists after their retirement due to their dedication and services to humanity.
In his goodwill message, the director of MacArthur Foundation in Nigeria, Dr Cole Shettima, said the work of the IPI is critical to the country and democracy as empowered by vibrant journalism. He expressed the need for local support for journalism and its practice in the country.
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