My solution for preventing attacks on the media & dealing with what has already happened.

1. Sue anyone who attacks any media person in the civil courts.
   1. Get a team of Lawyers on a no win no fee basis.
2. Push for criminal prosecution of the person or the group.
   1. Get Lawyers with waiting brief for all cases.  

      

3. There should be no settlement of these cases out of court. All settlement should be made public and the perpetuator should apologize in public to the victim and all journalists.
4. Black out & boycott their activities of the group that procured or carried out the attack.
5. Hold a demonstration & present petitions to all stakeholders reminding them that never again should this happen.
6.  
7. Educate media to
   1. To collect evidence during such attacks (This has to be mostly done by other journalists present)
   2. On how to handle themselves to avoid such attacks & how to handle risky situations.
8. Have a central portal where all media attack cases will be reported & progress towards resolution tracked.

   

9. Media should dedicate particular times when they follow up on all attack cases, name & shame perpetrators & solidarise with victims – All media houses do it on the same day & time
10. Dedicate reporters to cover all court appearances of such cases & the reports in court will also be there to support the journalist who is the victim.
11. Get an Insurance scheme for all media personnel to provide relief for victims
12. Create a fund where say 0.1% of all advertising revenue is paid into and other corporate bodies & individuals contribute to support victims of brutalities & fund the civil suits. A percentage of the settlements can be put back into this fund. The fund should be professionally managed by an independent body (Independent on me too)
13. Continue to improve standards, ethics & all journalist should respond to the summons of the NMC

Let’s draw a line in the sand – If we do not change they way we, journalist are handling these attacks, very soon we will be attending a funeral of one of us. To prevent it we have to do something different from what we have done all this time

Nobody should be beaten in the course of doing his or her jobs.

This must stop !!!!

 Togbi Edem Ashigbi

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