On May 3, the international community marked the World Press Freedom day. The day is used to draw attention to the role of the press and the issue of press freedom in countries around the world. The day commemorates the contributions of journalists of the print and electronic media and all those engaged in the business of communication.
The press, notably, newspapers but also, the radio and television and internet communication are important in modern society. In fact, no society can claim to be modern if it does not have a vibrant and free press. The press or media are crucial to the dissemination of information and play a vital role in education and entertainment. The press is so important that the extent of freedom to engage in harmless press activity and the way and manner media personnel are treated has become an international issue.
The importance of the press is related to the right of the average citizen in every country to have access to information. Freedom of information defines to a large extent how free a citizen is in his or her own country. This concern has resulted in international conventions and agreements on press freedom, the rights and safety of journalists, etc.
Press freedom and the well-being of journalists remains a big issue in many countries. In conflict-ridden and autocratic states, the freedom of the press is endangered. States have generally failed to observe any uniform standard of treatment of journalists as political leaders have usually determined the degree of liberty to accord the press.
As the world celebrates this year’s press freedom day, the press is in dilemma with journalists being hounded in many parts of the world. In war-ravaged and unstable countries like Syria, Somalia, Libya, Afghanistan and Pakistan, journalists are passing through difficult times with many of them losing their lives. In Syria, journalists are routinely abducted and held prisoner by warring factions. Similarly, in Russia, Sri Lanka, Egypt, Azerbaijan, Turkey and Chinajournalists have been incarcerated for long periods by the authorities because of their reports.
The most sensational example of endangered press freedom is the case of personnel working for the international television channel, Aljazeera, who for months now are being detained and charged with aiding and belonging to the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood by the Egyptian interim government for months now o of aiding and belonging to the banned Muslim Brotherhood.
The detained Aljazeera journalists include the Australian Peter Greste, Mohammed Fahmy, Baher Mohammed and Abdullah Al-Shamy, whose health is now deteriorating following his hunger strike for the past three months. An international campaign has been mounted to secure their release but the Egyptian authorities have yet to hearken to appeals in this regard.Aljazeera has done so much for the press and communication in the world that its personnel do not deserve their present travails in Egypt.
We urge the Egyptian government and other governments detaining journalists to release all of them and commence the process of reconciliation because journalists in custody anywhere are mere political prisoners.
In Nigeria, the press enjoys relative freedom, particularly withthe Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), which came into force recently; it is to make access to information easier. However, a significant number of government officials are yet to appreciate the importance of the Act.
Other issues militating against press freedom in Nigeria and other developing countries are poor regulation of media ownership, poor funding of media outfits, poor remuneration for journalists andlow standard of living of media practitioners. For the press to perform optimally, these issues need to be addressed by the relevant authorities.
