OPINION LEGAL PRESS ORGANISATIONS

OPINION

LEGAL PRESS ORGANISATIONS 

If a press organisation is somehow under the control and or domination of entities which require some wrongdoing through that organisation which would appear to clients as being wholly from the press organisation, then first, that press organisation needs to necessarily, immediately, creatively and legally create a distinction between the legal communications from that press organisation and the communications imposed on it through the entities that have the capacity to do that.

Second, the legal press organisation needs to document every single communication that is broadcast through their press organisation which is imposed on them. The documentation needs to necessarily include how the press organisation tried to prevent such communications from being broadcast and what it did to its best extent and capacity to ensure that such communications which may have a negative impact on their clients were mitigated. This should be done every single instance, even if it comes to hundreds or more times a day. Personnel should be hired to do this. If this is not feasible within the press organisation, then a private firm, perhaps a consultancy firm could be hired by the press organisation to achieve this. This could be done with funding from people in the press organisation who do not support that communications, as well as external funding for people who want to protect the integrity, original values and quality of the press organisation.

Third, the press organisation should find out if other press organisations are experiencing the same situation, either exactly the same or in variations within that nation and outside that nation. This should be presented to the legal Parliament and Presidency in each nation to ensure the situation can get the necessary legislative and executive attention and support. All press organisations involved can document their unique challenges and present them to the United Nations as a threat to the universal and fundamental human rights of people, especially freedom of the press, freedom of opinion, freedom of thought, freedom of speech and others. Also, another very important thing is to create a security perspective on this situation and show the United Nations, especially the Security Council and General Assembly, how this has significant effects on universal security.

Impact assessments should be made as to how many lives are saved just because the press showcase the details of a conflict. Examples should also be shown of how many lives are lost when the press organisations are unable to showcase the details of a conflict.

For instance, the role press organisations played in ending the war in Gaza and ensuring food and other essentials were made available to starving people in Gaza, Palestine. Contrast this to Rwanda in 1994 where one million people died. If that genocide got proper real-time attention, hundreds of thousands of people may have been saved. One person interviewed who did some legal work with the United States of America Embassy in Kigali at the time said in an interview, which is paraphrased here, that people that killed other people didn't mind doing that but what they didn't want was to be seen doing that.

This speaks volumes.

Fourth, if necessary, the legal press organisations can seek legal redress where clear crimes have been committed against them and or through them. This can be done in a court of competent jurisdiction, established and constituted by Law in such a manner as to secure its independence and impartiality in a timely manner. 

It is important to legally and humanely achieve this in a timely manner.

Written out of concern by Abiodun Mohammed Adeyemi Ajijola