ABSTRACT
There
are legal and social problems that have continued to restrain the Nigerian
journalists from adequate and effective news reporting. These laws are meant to
dictate to journalists what they should and should not publish. Whether in a
military or a civilian government, these laws are always there to serve the
objectives of the powers that be, and to brow beat the press. It is on this
perception that the research examines the level of awareness of the Freedom of
Information Act among journalists in Osun State since it was assented by the
Former President Goodluck Jonathan administration. The research is anchored on
the Libertarian and Democratic Participant Theory. For the purpose of this study, survey research
method was adopted while questionnaires were distributed to 120 selected
respondents within Osun State Newspaper Correspondents Osogbo, to know how free
is press under 1999 Constitution as amended using probability sampling
technique (simple random method). The data collected were analysed using
Descriptive Statistics i.e frequency and percentage method. Findings show that journalists
can now perform their duties more effectively than before with the passage of
the New Freedom of Information, although many journalists see no different in
the way they operate especially those who are working in the government media.
