Freedom of Information Act and Challenges to Journalism Practice in South East Nigeria 2015-2019
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Abstract
The enactment of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act in 2011 was a step towards democratizing access to government-held information in Nigeria. Several years after its enactment, it is pertinent to examine how liberalising the law has been, how Nigerian journalists have utilised the Act in discharging their responsibilities, and the challenges they encounter in the process. To this end, this study examined the extent of knowledge of the FOI Act among Nigerian journalists, the extent of its use by Nigerian journalists, and the challenges of using it in journalism practice. The study relied on the Social Responsibility theory and adopted both survey and in-depth interview methods. Questionnaire and Interview Guide were used as data collection instruments. The findings show a high level of awareness and knowledge of the Act among the journalists, but also reveal low utilisation of the Act among the respondents. Further results indicate denial of access, partial release of information, and lack of feedback as challenges hindering adequate utilisation of the Act. This suggests that the challenges faced by journalists in using the Act are related to accessibility, meaning that although the Act democratizes access to information, its democratizing effects have yet to be fully realised by Nigerian journalists. The study recommends, among other things, that the government should repeal extant laws inhibiting the adequate utilisation of the Act.
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