Paul Ohia
15 July 2011
The International Press Institute (IPI) and Newspapers Proprietors Association of Nigeria (NPAN) have cautioned the United Kingdom not to allow its quest for revenge in the phone hacking scandal involving a popular tabloid, News of the World, to undermine “the robust history of press freedom in the country”.
A communiqué jointly signed by the Director of IPI, Ms Alison Bethel McKenzie, and President of NPAN and Chairman/ Editor-in-Chief of THISDAY, Mr. Nduka Obaigbena, after a meeting of the IPI Nigeria National Committee in Lagos Thursday, warned of a possible ripple effect of any act of undercutting the media in UK especially on other countries.
The two press organisations, however, condemned in strong terms what they described as “the illegality in the British media, especially the hacking scandal that has led to the closure of News of the World by its publishers”.
They said they recognised this as a failure of law enforcement and not a failure of journalism and press freedom.
“While we endorse British government reaction by way of the setting up of two enquiries to look into the affair, we caution that this quest for revenge should not be a basis to undermine the robust history of press freedom in the UK in particular which could cause a ripple effect globally,” the communiqué, entitled “Statement on development in the UK and Press Freedom”, said.
They said it would be a tragedy if governments elsewhere now use events in Britain to justify the repression of the media in their own countries.
IPI Nigeria National Committee met in Lagos Thursday at a summit hosted by THISDAY and attended by the Publisher of Vanguard Newspaper, Mr. Sam Amuka, and Chairman, Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Alhaji Ismaila Isa; Chairman of Peoples Daily and IPI’s Press Freedom Adviser on Africa and the Middle East, Ms Naomi Hunt.
The executives of IPI, who are on a one-week visit to Nigeria, explained that the organisation uses several instruments in its work to defend and promote press freedom.
They explained that first and foremost, the organisation was ready to intervene wherever press freedom was threatened.
According to them, by making use of written protests often, IPI seeks to bring the plight of journalists to the attention of the international community and also expresses the solidarity of the IPI community with journalists who are victims of repression.
The use of protests forces repressive regimes to recognise that their actions will not be tolerated by the democratic world, they said.
“Our Press Freedom Fund allows us to react swiftly to violations. This fund gives us the means to undertake missions to countries where press freedom is under threat.
Through the missions, we help provide legal representation and support in court cases, negotiate with governments and institutions, and lobby embassies to pressure governments that violate press freedom,” the executives explained.
On some of the activities of the organisation, the IPI officials said Annual World Congresses and General Assembly bring together top media representatives, politicians and academics.
“They are organised each year in a different country. Journalists attend these meetings to tell their stories and share their experiences. The World Congress also provides IPI members with an invaluable opportunity to form new professional contacts with colleagues from around the world,” the executives said.
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