Group holds workshop on laws affecting media, journalists safety

The Media Rights Agenda (MRA) has begun a series of workshops to educate journalists about the laws and regulations affecting media operations in Nigeria.

The two-day workshop taking place in Abeokuta, Ogun State, on August 6 and 7, 2024, is designed to help journalists understand the legal landscape better and improve their ability to report ethically, freely, and safely.

Two other workshops will be held subsequently in Owerri, Imo State, for journalists in the South East and South South, and in Abuja, for journalists from the northern part of the country.

The workshop is being organised by Media Rights Agenda with support from the MacArthur Foundation through the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) and is being carried out under the Collaborative Media Engagement for Development, Inclusion and Accountability (CMEDIA) Project, a multi-level intervention that supports media independence, improved transparency, accountability, and good governance in state and local governments with more public awareness on the need for accountability, and amplified marginalised voices.

MRA’s Programme Officer, Timileyin Adams, said that the workshops are necessary to equip journalists with the knowledge and tools they need to navigate media laws and regulations confidently.

He noted that the legal landscape in Nigeria is complex and sometimes misused by governments and other powerful individuals to hinder journalists’ work.

Adams explained that each workshop will last two days and cover important topics for journalism practice.

These include national, regional, and international frameworks on freedom of expression, media freedom, and the safety of journalists; legal issues that harm media freedom in Nigeria; digital security; ethics in journalism; beneficial legal protections for journalists; how to avoid legal troubles; protecting information and sources; and ways to get legal support.