World Press Freedom Day: Use Technology to Promote Media Rights, Says Digital Media Expert
A Digital Media Expert, Ali Isa Musa has tasked advocates of Press Freedom to use Digital Technology in promoting Media rights especially as the world marks the world press freedom day.
Mr. Ali Isa who is a Non-resident fellow of the Nigerian Global Affairs Council Lagos, made the call in a phone interview with Arewa Agenda online news medium.
According to him, “unlike political or economic change, technological change created both risks and opportunities for journalists. Developments in Open Source technologies and artificial intelligence inevitably promoted media rights. Digital Security Tools helps journalists in encryption to secure journalists and their digital environment from cyber-attacks and online harassments. Numerous times investigative journalists are subjected to violations of their rights to expression, privacy, dignity, and safety online. Encryption, anonymity, and digital security tools have proved to be effective in promoting media rights,” he said
He noted that journalists have utilized Social Media platforms to create and support media right related activism for Freedom of the press thereby forcing dictatorial regimes to tread cautiously in gagging of the press unlike before.
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“‘hashtag movements’ lead to policy change and generated awareness which is a major step in the right direction,” he pointed out, emphasising that, “open Source Intelligence Tools allows journalists to use collective Intelligence from organic social media posts to detect journalists in danger for immediate emergency response to save the life of journalists thus promoting media rights.”
Mr. Ali Further buttressed that the dramatic shift in media consumption in the last decade has been towards digital and social platforms noting that in order to keep up with this speedy pace, Journalists must broaden their skill-set to meet the growing demands for online storytelling and content generation for Social Media.
“A professional digital journalist should have skills set in: Online Privacy and Security Applications, Digital News Production, Digital Tools to Verify Information, Posting Stories on Social Media, Digital Audience Engagement, Production and Distribution, Reporting and Editing, Digital Photography, Mobile and Backpack Reporting, Data and Investigative Journalism,” he enumerated.
According to him, these skills will enhance Digital journalists work daily, in addition to learning how to handle them as they also need to be aware of any new tools that emerge since the concepts are in constant evolution.
