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The Nigerian Guild of Editors has urged the National Assembly to adopt a law that will protect journalists’ right to speak on public matters with harsh interference.
The NGE’s Secretary, Iyobosa Uwugiaren, in a statement to commemorate the World Press Freedom Day, noted that such a law, if enacted, would enable the media to operate responsibly, and strengthened democracy.
He added that many anti-media laws were aimed at journalists and media houses, which the NASS must repel.
Uwugiaren in the statement said, “The Federal Government will fundamentally be promoting the enabling environment for media to operate responsibly if it adopts a law to protect persons who speak out on matters of public interest against abusive lawsuits meant to silence them.
“The Federal Government should take a clue from the European Union and other democracies around the world, who have adopted similar laws to protect journalists and media houses against Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation suit.
“More so, there are still many obnoxious and anti-media laws in our statutory books that are targeted at journalists and media houses. The National Assembly must take immediate steps to repeal them.”
