JOURNALISTS AND THE RULE OF LAW IN EXCEPTIONAL PERIODS: A RELATIVITY OF PROTECTION

Abstract

The incessant proliferation of different types challenges plaguing journalists and media professionals in general and journalists and media professionals of war and during armed conflicts in particular in the world over have led to deteriorating and devastating effects to the journalism profession, the quality of information and to fundamental rights to life of journalists as most of them meet their waterloo during intense active hostilities in such a way that if nothing is done to obviate it, it will only lead to egregious anomalies and why not heinous as well as wanton violation of the rights of journalists. Freedom of speech, of expression and of thoughts in the contemporary world, which are supposed to be promoted and protected so as to ensure and enhance development of information and communication albeit in worrisome periods such as armed conflict, are instead the kick-starters of the numerous nightmares and vicious atrocities on journalists and their profession. These challenges are multi-dimensional and spring from the belligerent parties on both ends on the one hand and interested third parties on the other hand. The matter is worsened when some of the journalists themselves gang-up with unscrupulous sponsors to embark on armed conflict zones as spies in the name journalists leaving us in a state of unembellished elation to ponder whether they still fall under the very norms and canons of the journalism profession. In this same strand of reflection however, several international legal instruments aimed at arriving at a solution have been envisaged but it is rather unfortunate that, the so many legal instruments arrived at are not apt enough to curb and curtail the ordeal faced by journalists during armed conflicts. If nothing is done to this present status quo, no long lasting solution will ever be attained. This paper focuses on challenges faced in the implementation of laws protecting journalists in general and journalists of war in particular as well as the relativity of protection of journalists of war. To attain this objective, the secondary method of data collection and the qualitative method of data analysis were employed.