Press freedom advocates sound alarm for digital era challenges

Stakeholders have canvassed press freedom in as we speak’s digital age for the media to successfully play its function in society and for democracy to attempt within the nation.

They said this on Thursday on the Enterprise Day coverage sequence with the theme; ‘Methods for safeguarding press freedom within the rising digital age’.

The BusinessDay coverage sequence centered on safeguarding press freedom within the rising digital panorama.

Talking on the occasion,  Richard Ikiebe, Chairman of the Board of Administrators for BusinessDay Restricted, addressed the challenges confronted by journalists as we speak.

Ikiebe emphasised the media’s essential function as a watchdog in opposition to corruption arguing {that a} vibrant and free press is important for constructing the Africa we envision.

This freedom, nonetheless, is commonly threatened by politicians who acknowledge the media’s energy to form public opinion and probably affect elections. In consequence, he highlighted the tendency of politicians to hunt management of media retailers.

The dialogue additionally addressed the distinctive threats posed by the digital age, the place Gbenga Sesan identified that Nigeria’s present cybercrime regulation, enacted in 2015, is outdated. With the introduction of a brand new regulation in 2024, journalists have to be proactive in understanding and probably difficult its implications.

Sesan additional emphasised the necessity for journalism to tackle a extra activist function in Nigeria. He argued that journalists have to be vigilant in difficult processes and holding highly effective figures accountable. This implies a shift in direction of a extra investigative and demanding method to journalism.

The Enterprise Day coverage sequence offered a platform for discussing the significance of press freedom in Nigeria’s digital age, highlighting the necessity for the safety of journalists, addressing the threats confronted by journalists, each on-line and offline, modernised authorized frameworks, guaranteeing that cybercrime legal guidelines are honest and don’t stifle reputable journalism, extra proactive media encouraging investigative journalism and holding highly effective establishments accountable.