Ensure Professionalism To Avoid Legal Repression -Mojeed

Ensure Professionalism To Avoid Legal Repression -Mojeed

By Omohefe Peace Osemere

Media organizations and journalists have been advised to always ensure ethical standards and professionalism in their news reportage and programmes.

President of the International Press Institute, (IPI) Musikilu Mojeed gave the advise while leading discussions on “how journalists/media organizations can avoid legal repression” at a one-day workshop organized by the centre for journalism innovation and development (CJID) in Abuja.

According to him, understanding the rudiments of journalism, knowing and respecting extant laws was very imperative as this could shield media organizations and journalists from strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs).

Mojeed said SLAPPs have been weaponized by state and non-state actors to suppress or gag the media from objective reportage and constructive criticisms.

He however stressed the need for collaboration among newsrooms in cross publishing/reporting cases of media repression and frivolous lawsuits against journalists.

SLAPPs are strategic lawsuits against public participation with the aim to intimidate, and silence critics by burdening them with the cost of a legal defense until they abandon their criticism or opposition.

Meanwhile, Project Associate, Media Freedom Project at the centre for journalism innovation and development (CJID), Adebayo Aare, said the centre has developed a platform “press attack tracker (PAT) where journalists can report cases of press freedom violations.

He said the online platform (PAT) was created essentially to amplify the voices of journalists who are victims of violations with the aim of holding the perpetrators to account.

According to him, the PAT has been able to document cases of press freedom violations from 1986-2025.

The workshop themed “Newsroom engagement on navigating legal challenges,laws that criminalize journalism and strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPS)” had as participants, media executives and journalists from radio and television stations, newspapers and civil society organizations.