ABSTRACT
The Aim of this study was to
determine the influence of journalism practice in Enugu. The objective of the
study is to find out the influence of freedom of information law and high rate
of curriculum in Government Business in Nigeria e.t.c. survey method is used as
instrument for data collection (questionnaire) sources of data (primary and
secondary data of population size total 110 sample size = 86 finding and recommendation).
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of Study
Freedom of information (Press freedom) could be traced to
that age of enlightenment and development of democracy in America. It is a
product of libertarianism which derived unarguably from the libertarian theory
of the press. It is one of the ingredients of libertarian approach to the
theory of media (Goke, 2003). Freedom of information, specifically access to
information held by public authorities is a fundamental element of the right to
freedom of expression and vital to the proper functioning of a democracy. It is
a law that makes provision for the disclosure of information held by public
authoritiesand allowing democracy becomes the order of the day. There has been
increasing acceptance of the importance of human rights and in particular of
freedom of expression. For a country like Nigeria that has witnessed decades of
military rule where press freedom was restricted, it came as a relief when the
freedom of information bill was signed into law. Virtually all
governmentinformation in Nigerian is classified as top secret. LongeAyodu of
Media Rights Agenda (MRA), a Logos based non-governmentalorganization (NGO),
say this veil of secrecy makes\\\ it difficult to get information from any
state agency (Ayode, 2011). Plethora of laws prevents civil servants from divulging
official facts and figures, notably the official secrets act which makes it an
offence not only for civil servants to give out government information but also
for anyone to receive or reproduce such information. Further restrictions are
contained in the Evidence Act; the pubic complaints commission Act, the
Statistics Act and the criminal code amongst others.
Adeleke, (2011), says that idea behind these laws is to
protect vital government information, but the level of secrecy is so ridiculous
that some classified government files contain ordinary information like
newspaper cuttings which are already in the public domain, so impenetrable is
the veil of secrecy that government departments withhold information from each
other under the guise of official secrets legislation. There are also instances
where civil servants refuse to give the National Assembly documentation after
being asked to do so.
The result of this is that journalists are denied access to
information that is critical for accurate reporting, and unraveling the web of
corruption in Nigeria. These issues motivated EdetaenOjoalong with other
relevant NGOs to initiate the bill that has become freedom of information act.
Historically, the freedom of information bill in Nigeria could be traced back
to 1993 during the administration of General SaniAbacha in which transparent
government was not the order of the day. EdetaenOjo, head media rights Agenda
(MRA) a young organization for the defense of free expression rights. Civil
liberties organization (CLO) and the Nigerian Union of Journalist (NUJ) Lagos
branch spearheaded the drafting of freedom of information bill.
The draft went through several reviews before it was
presented to former president OlusegunObasanjo in early June 1999, with the
hope that the bill would be forwarded to the National Assembly as an executive
measure. He declined, advising MRA instead to do so if they wished. The bill
was then submitted to the National Assembly in 1999, as advised by
OlusegunObasanjo but the legislature’s four year term passed without the bill
being voted on. The bill was re-submitted after the present National Assembly
was inaugurated a few years ago, it scaled through both the lower and upper
chamber of the National Assembly and the harmonized version was passed by both
chambers on May 26, 2011, it was conveyed to Goodluck Jonathan on May 27, and
he singed it on May 28, 2011. so far two states in Nigeria namely (Ekiti and
Lagos states) have adopted the freedom of information acts at state level but
they have extended the response date of level from 7 days to 14 days
(Ogbuokiri, 2011). Prior to signing this bill to law access to information
especially of hybrid public authorities was no go areas for the journalists.
People view some information as being sacred with the belief that it was not
meant for public consumption.
Inspire of the law on freedom of expression, several
institutions still find it difficult to implement this law fully. It is against
this backdrop that the researcher decided to undertake the study in order to
ascertain the influence of freedom of information law on journalism practice in
Nigeria.
1.2 Statement of the
problem
Inspire of the fact the freedom of information law have been
seen as a potent instrument towards political, economic, social-economic
development of Nigeria and closing the gap created by virtue of long military
rule which led to lack of information on how government business is run within
the country, several organizations are yet to fully adopt this instrument and
put in into practice. The spate of high rate of corruption noticed in every
sectors of the economy, the spate of massive ignorance on government daily
business, tIe spate of information gap between the government and citizens, the
spate of massive unemployment of youth in the country, fallout of secret deals
by government which is not exposed, the spate of inequitable resonance sharing
within the country are eloquent testimonies that there is dire need for the
practice of freedom of information law in Nigeria.
1.3 Objective of the
study
The researcher set out the following objectives for this
study.
1. To ascertain the influence of freedom of information law
on the journalism practice in Nigeria.
2. To find out the extent of adherence to freedom of information
law by government agencies in Nigeria.
3. To ascertain citizens level of understanding of the
freedom of information law in Nigeria.
1.4 Research Question
Based on the above objectives of the study, the following
research questions were asked;
1. To what extent has the freedom of information law affected
journalism practice in Nigeria?
2. Do government agencies adhere to the freedom of
information law in Nigeria?
3. Does the average Nigerian have good knowledge of the
freedom of information law?
1.5 Scope of the study
The study was conducted in media outfits located in Enugu
state, they are NTA, FRCN, ESBS and Dream FM Enugu.
1.6 Significant of the
Study
The researcher believes that on completion of the study
should serve the following:
1. It will serve as a source of materials for students or
interested researcher who intend to carryout further study on the same or
similar topic.
2. It will assist government in bridging the gap in
information created by obsolete laws restricting journalists from accessing
vital information.
3. It will assist policy makers, analysts and media
stakeholders make vital decisions in the media sector of the economy.
1.9 Operational
Definitions of Terms
To guard against ambiguity in the meaning of the word and
phrases used in the study.
The researcher would like reader to understand the following
definition of terms.
1. Freedom of speech: the right to communicate one’s opinions
and ideas without of fear of government retaliation or censorship.
2. Freedom of expression: any act of seeking receiving and
imparting information or ideas regardless of the medium used.
3. Freedom of information: is an extension of freedom of
speech, a fundamental human right arecognized in international law, which is
today understood more generally as freedom of expression in any medium, be it
orally, in writing, print, through the internet or through art forms.
4. Freedom: the power or right to act speak, or think freely,
the state of having free will
5. Information: facts of knowledge provided or warned at what
is conveyed or represented by a particular sequence of symbols, impulses etc.
6. Journalism: the activity or profession of being a
journalist or from the Wikipedia is the work and distribution of reports on the
interaction of events, facts, ideas, and peoples that are the news of the day
and that informs the society to at least some degree. The word applies to the
occupation (professional or not) the methods of gathering information, and the
organizing literary styles.
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