By Juliana Francis
The Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) held a workshop with some Nigerian media executives on Wednesday, April 16th, 2025, on navigating legal challenges, laws that criminalise journalism, and also delved into issues surrounding Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPS).
The Media Executives Dialogue highlighted the rising trend of SLAPPS and other legal challenges in the newsroom, with particular focus on strategic ways to navigate them.
The Deputy Director, Journalism Programme, CJID, Mrs Busola Ajibola, said that bringing media executives to discuss the burning issue of increasing legal threats against Nigerian media and its impact on democracy in the South West region is the second edition of CJID’s Newsrooms Engagement series on Navigating Legal Challenges, Laws that Criminalise Journalism, and SLAPPS. She said that an earlier edition had taken place in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.
The Southwest workshop, held at Premium Times Newspaper’s Boardroom, Ikeja, Lagos Office, was supported by UNESCO.
The workshop turned out to be intense and interactive, with the media executives bringing to the table various and practical challenges in different newsrooms, which are a reflection of the Nigerian Media Sector and further sharing strategies on how each navigated and crossed the landmines.
The media parley turned out to be an engagement that enriched journalists ‘ expanding knowledge base, fostering a collaborative learning environment and establishing a network.
The event witnesses an assemblage of media experts, who took the journalists through practical strategies and useful tools to help them navigate complex issues, so that the important work of investigative and accountability journalism and press freedom does not continue to suffer setbacks.
Some of the people who spoke at the workshop are the President, International Press Institute, Mr Musikilu Mojeed, Co-founder, Digital Rights Lawyers Initiative (DRLI), Legal Researcher, Global Freedom of Expression, Mr Solomon Okedara, Professor of Journalism and Communications Studies, University of Lagos, Akoka, Prof. Ismail Ibrahim, Deputy Director, Journalism Programme, CJID, Mrs Busola Ajibola, and Project Associate, Media Freedom Project, CJID, Mr. Adebayo Aare.
Speaking on “Operational Strategies For Journalists And Media Organisation To Avoid Legal Repressions,” urged media houses and journalists to be accountable and cultivate the habit of obeying the laws.
While citing several ways journalists can avoid lawsuits, he urged them to be masters at their game of reporting and investigation, know and understand the ethics of journalism, understand media laws, and not leave loopholes anywhere to avoid being trapped by those who are investigating.
The Executive Director of the Wole Soyinka Centre For Investigative Journalism, Mrs Motunrayo Alaka, who is one of the participants, said that if journalists wanted to hold government, institutions and powerful accountable, they must first learn to be accountable themselves.
During the engaging session, it was agreed that most resort to SLAPPS against media houses and journalists because they just want to frustrate them and make them spend money on countering lawsuits.
It was also debated and agreed that SLAPPS can happen to any media organisation or journalists, despite them being very careful and thorough with their investigations. “When you’ve done all you should do as a journalist or media organisation, SLAPP can still come.”
Musikilu maintained that it was always better to play it safe and not be careless.
His words: “The solution lies in knowledge, maturity, understanding your craft and how to navigate it. Another way to avoid this is to be accountable as journalists. When we are wrong, we should admit and apologise, and we can also pull down the erroneous report.”
Poor use of words in our stories can create a problem, and we have to be careful. SLAPP will come despite your best efforts, and we should be prepared for it.”
The Executive Director of Media Career Nigeria, Mr Lekan Otufodunrin, buttressing Musikilu’s points, said: “Ignorance is not an excuse in this job, and journalists know they are not above the law. Our quality control system has gone down.”
The Team Lead Editor-in-Chief, DevReporting, Mr Mojeed Alabi, contributing to the discussion, said: “There will always be SLAPPS. Newsrooms need to be deliberate and have their own Ombudsman. We can’t know it all. There will always be lawsuits. However, some journalists are deliberately running into trouble, they are looking for asylum, they are looking for opportunities.”
Okedara, speaking on ‘Understanding Inhibiting Laws Against Journalism And How To Navigate SLAPPS,’ explained that SLAPPS are lawsuits intended to censor, intimidate and silence critics by burdening them with the cost of a legal defence until the critics or journalists abandon their criticism, opposition or stories.
According to the lawyer, SLAPPS pose a serious threat to journalists and public watchdogs that report critically on the wealthy and powerful.
“SLAPP intends to subject one to lengthy and expensive litigations which drain vital resources and chill critical speech,” said Okedara.
He added: “In most jurisdictions across the world, SLAPPS are always civil defamation suits against journalists and media houses. However, in Nigeria, SLAPPS include civil defamation suits against journalists; it extends beyond that and indeed includes criminal litigation against journalists on the ground of defamation, cybercrime, sedition, blasphemy, among others.”
Okefara further explained that in a typical SLAPP, the plaintiff does not normally expect to win the lawsuit.
In such cases, said Okedara, “the complainant has a sense of winning the moment the journalist is arrested, detained or arraigned in court. In some cases, a journalist can be detained for months if not years. In such situations, the journalist is already broken, and he may succumb to intimidation.”
The lawyer also disclosed that in SLAPPS, it is common to see the plaintiff choosing courts that are favourable to his or her claims, irrespective of location or distance.
He also stated that most times SLAPPS were initiated and abandoned in courts by the plaintiff, the cases often do not have merit, and both declaratory and executory reliefs are always very bogus.
He advised that when a SLAPP is slammed against a journalist or media house, they should follow the course of action or invite their lawyers, avoid issuing a public statement until they have advice from their lawyers and also cooperate with their lawyers.
During an interactive session on “Gender Nuances of Press Freedom Violations In Nigeria,” which was moderated by Ajibola, it was noted that female reporters face challenges both inside and outside the newsroom while doing their jobs.
It was suggested that media organisations should become intentional in having some policies in place for the protection of reporters, irrespective of gender.
Mr Aare, speaking on Using CJID’s Press Attack Tracker In Reporting Press Freedom Violation, shared insights on how the organisation has been tracking attacks on journalists and media across Nigeria.
He said that people with information on press attacks and other press freedom violations can reach out via phone call, SMS or WhatsApp messages. The number to call is 07060794989.
