The fourth estate of the realm otherwise known as the ‘Pen Profession’ got a boost on Wednesday when the Media Rights Agenda said it has put in place pro-bono legal services program for journalists who are denied access to information or who are in need of legal services in relation to their duties.
JOURNALISTS: In a statement on Wednesday, the MRA said it is “poised to render free legal services to journalists attacked or assaulted” in the line of duty.
The statement signed by the association’s program director, Ayode Longe, urged media practitioners to intimate the MRA on possible legal assistance that could be rendered in accordance with the scheme.
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“MRA is implementing a project funded by the Open Society for West Africa (OSIWA) in which MRA is poised to render free legal services to journalists attacked or assaulted in the course of carrying out their work or where they are denied access to information and records under the FOI Act,” read the statement.
The statement said the MRA would go to court to challenge the denial for free if the journalists want the organisation to represent them.
Over the years, several journalists across Nigeria have faced persecution and harassment in the course of holding the authorities accountable for their actions.
www.sojworld.com (c) May 9, 2019
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