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Freedom of information and media literacy in information management for national security in Nigeria
Abstract
In 2011, former President Goodluck Jonathan of Nigeria signed theFreedom of Information Bill (FIB) to make journalists and otherstakeholders of information management to have access toinformation without any fear or favor. Since the signing of the bill,journalists and other media practitioners have been exercising theirright to freedom of information. For effective informationmanagement, there is a need for media literacy for consumers ofmedia contents. This paper, therefore, argues that despite thefreedom of information in the country, there is a need for medialiteracy for effective management of information for national securityin Nigeria. This argument is premised upon the fact thatinterpretation and analysis of information is subjective owing to somepersonal prejudices and biases of the consumers of information. Thelingering insecurity engineered by BokoHaram insurgency,kidnapping and armed militancy in the country is linked to the levelof information management. The scope of the paper covers printmedia owing to the fact that data can be easily gathered fromnewspapers and magazines for analysis and discussion.
References
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