INFLUENCE OF FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT ON JOURNALISM PRACTICE: A STUDY OF JOURNALISTS IN ANAMBRA STATE

ABSTRACT

This study focused on the Influence of Freedom of Information (FOI) Act and journalism practice in Anambra State. The FOI Act in terms of its history, features and influence for journalism practice in Anambra state, and how much it has been harnessed by practitioners, challenges encountered in this regard and future prospects. We found that the influences which the FOI Act is envisaged to bring to journalism practice include legal coverage for the journalist as they accesses information; reduction in cost of accessing information; and reduction of risk involved in seeking sensitive information. An assessment of the implementation of the FOI Act shows that there has been an encouraging increase in the number of individuals and organisations demanding for information pursuant to the provisions of the Act. The methodology adopted is the survey method and the use of questionnaire was used to obtain data. The Findings shows that the failure of Nigerian journalists to harness the FOI Act has far-reaching implications for press freedom, given that right to access of information is a critical component of freedom of the press. It was recommended that stakeholders – journalists, government and civil society – should cooperate to achieve an optimal utilization of the FOI Act.

Statement of the Problem
Before the signing of the freedom of information act FOI by president Goodluck Jonathan on the 28th May 2011 the press went through a lot of critics in the hands of people and government, especially the military government which as a result many journalist / media practitioners were imprisoned assassinated and assaulted . However this research work aim at studying;

1.3 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
The main aim and objective of this study was to find out the influence of journalist in Nigeria on the influence of freedom of information act on journalism practices in Anambra state, the specific objectives were to;

1. Examine the level of awareness among journalist in Nigeria on the FOIA.
2. Determine the extent to which the FOIA can aid media practice towards a fair, balanced, accurate and objective reporting.
3. Ascertain the seeming challenges to the maximization of the FOIA in Nigeria.
4. Find out if the FOIA will truly guarantee “unfettered” access to government-held information among journalists in Nigeria.
5. Find out if the act will make journalism more promising, especially in determining what or what not to report.