Standard operating proceduresdefine the organisation‘s policies, government policies, legislature and judiciary, practices of the organisation and the procedures followed in information sharing by the different organisations. Perhaps, as important as the structure of media outlets and the people involved with them are, the independence and effectiveness of government institutions concerned with the media, particularly the legislature and judiciary is equally of importance. The degree of media independence and freedom established in a country's laws, and the degree to which those laws are enforced, defines the space in which media are allowed to operate. The relevant indicators here are media's legal environment and changes in media controls.The government institutions are responsible for protecting citizens‘ rights, including the rights to free speech and independent media, both of which are enshrined in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (Frohardt and Temin, 2003).
Frohardt and Temin (2003) opine that particular attention should be paid to the legislature because of its capacity to make and modify legislation. In many societies susceptible to media abuse, the legislation necessary to prosecute media abuse—including legislation that protects the independence of private media outlets and legislation that addresses
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hateful and antagonistic media contents, such as slander and libel laws—is absent, ineffective, or poorly designed. Thus it is important for experts in comparative media to work with legislatures to aid them in crafting such legislations. Individual legislators deemed sympathetic to the notion of legislation addressing media abuse can be identified and encouraged to introduce new legislation or modify current laws that are ineffective.
Two very different types of legislation are critical to maintaining a healthy legal environment for media: legislation protecting journalists and media outlets from abuse and guaranteeing their freedom to operate without government interference; and legislation, such as libel and slander laws, protecting private individuals from being the subject of unjustified insult or falsehoods appearing in the media. The former allows journalists to operate without fear of government coercion, unwarranted prosecution, or personal harm.
If such legislation is in place and consistently enforced, then journalists and media outlets are not likely to be very susceptible to abuse. But if such legislation is absent, journalists and media outlets are essentially "fair game" for the government, meaning that the state is free to attempt to manipulate them however it chooses. Journalists, in turn, have few options for recourse (Frohardt and Temin, 2003).
According to Fewell and Clark (2003), other factors identified that could potentially have an impact came from the environment of the organisation. In summary, these are
legislation and constitution, political and economic goals and environments, and information sources such as the nature and freedom of the media. Also included in the environment of the organisation are the nature of society including the languages spoken;
historic, ethnic or religious connections and groups; customs and rules of behaviour;
standards of living and demographics; commitment to democracy; free trade;
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globalisation; human rights and values (e.g. those placed on human life); and public opinion and support, including the influence of business and special interest groups. These factors potentially constrain organisations. The environment defines the organisation‘s goals and provides constraints in the form of government guidance and policies, formal guidelines and administrative procedures developed outside of the organisation.
Differences in the environments of each collaborating organisation may indirectly place additional external constraints on the organisation interoperability by, for example, imposing additional goals on some participating organisations (Fewell& Clark, 2003)
Once the necessary media legislation is in place, it is equally important that the judiciary has the capacity to enforce the laws. If it is effective and impervious to corruption, the judiciary can provide an important check on media abuse because it can punish actors attempting to use the media maliciously. But in so many of the societies recently succumbing to conflict and in those vulnerable to doing so, rule of law is weak and the legal system is riddled with bribery and corruption.Media regulation, encompassing both codes of conduct and ownership issues, is the necessary rule of law component of every comprehensive media development project. While the strategies create and encourage open media through production, regulation is a parallel effort to ensure that what is
produced and aired is not inflammatory or contrary to the public‘s interest in peace. When done well, the peace-building benefits are substantial. (Frohardt&Temin,2003).In Nigeria, the Nigeria Broadcasting Code first published in 1993 specified standard operating procedures for all broadcasting stations. According to the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) (2012: 6), the standard operating procedures ―is to assist broadcasters make sound judgement and provide the public with information, and to enable
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stakeholders in the industry discharge their responsibility more effectively and provide a transparent tool for the commission to adequately regulate the industry‖.