Networked Harassment of Journalists in Nigeria: Motivations, Coping Strategies and Solutions
摘要
This chapter uses an encompassing approach to examine the motivations for the online harassment of journalists in Nigeria, the strategies adopted by Nigerian journalists to cope with online harassment and the suggested solutions to ameliorate the situation. This chapter reports on semi-structured interviews with journalists and audience members in Nigeria. The chapter argues that journalists in Nigeria play down the severity of online harassment and attempt to endure harassment with the hope of riding the wave out. The chapter further shows that journalists engage in self-censorship by deleting their social media accounts as a coping strategy. This chapter also highlights that perceived unethical behaviour and a lack of transparency motivate Nigerians to engage in networked harassment of journalists. The chapter suggests improved security, enacting safety laws for journalists and ensuring adequate punishment for perpetrators of online harassment of journalists. This chapter recommends that the media organisations, professional media bodies, and the government should take the lead to enlighten the people on the need to curtail online harassment of journalists. Crucially, the chapter suggests that journalists in Nigeria listen more and embrace ideas such as ethical reporting and improved professional codes of conduct.