Hamzat Owolabi | Open National University of Nigeria (original) (raw)
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This paper examines journalism and freedom of expression in Nigeria from the perspective of the c... more This paper examines journalism and freedom of expression in Nigeria from the perspective of the cases of murdered journalists with impunity while in the line of journalistic duties. Considering the argument in some quarters that the presence of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) may have weakened the once vibrant Nigerian press which was more vocal in the face of tyranny, therefore, the paper examines the level of victimisation journalists underwent in Nigeria before the FOIA and scrutinises the extent to which the FOIA can aid media practice towards a fair, balanced, accurate and objective journalism. Both primary and secondary sources of data are employed in this paper. The primary source includes historical materials chronicling series of victimised journalists in Nigeria overtime. These materials were carefully drawn from a period between Nigeria's return to Democracy in 1999 to date. The reason for this is to ascertain if Journalism has fared better or worse since the return of Nigeria to steady civilian rule after many years of split military interventions. The secondary data comprised Newspaper articles, relevant books, journal articles, and the internet. The Development (Media) Theory which is considered the most apt due to the deficiencies of other normative theories such as the Authoritarian, Libertarian and Social Responsibility theories is used to frame the work. The study concludes that the killing of journalists in Nigeria points to the fact that the tenets of the Development (Media) Theory have not been embraced by all stakeholders (government, journalists and the masses) and enjoins all stakeholders to see journalists as puzzles in the jigsaw of the nation's development and begin to assist rather than wage war against journalists.
This paper examines journalism and freedom of expression in Nigeria from the perspective of the c... more This paper examines journalism and freedom of expression in Nigeria from the perspective of the cases of murdered journalists with impunity while in the line of journalistic duties. Considering the argument in some quarters that the presence of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) may have weakened the once vibrant Nigerian press which was more vocal in the face of tyranny, therefore, the paper examines the level of victimisation journalists underwent in Nigeria before the FOIA and scrutinises the extent to which the FOIA can aid media practice towards a fair, balanced, accurate and objective journalism. Both primary and secondary sources of data are employed in this paper. The primary source includes historical materials chronicling series of victimised journalists in Nigeria overtime. These materials were carefully drawn from a period between Nigeria's return to Democracy in 1999 to date. The reason for this is to ascertain if Journalism has fared better or worse since the return of Nigeria to steady civilian rule after many years of split military interventions. The secondary data comprised Newspaper articles, relevant books, journal articles, and the internet. The Development (Media) Theory which is considered the most apt due to the deficiencies of other normative theories such as the Authoritarian, Libertarian and Social Responsibility theories is used to frame the work. The study concludes that the killing of journalists in Nigeria points to the fact that the tenets of the Development (Media) Theory have not been embraced by all stakeholders (government, journalists and the masses) and enjoins all stakeholders to see journalists as puzzles in the jigsaw of the nation's development and begin to assist rather than wage war against journalists.