NEWSPAPER OWNERSHIP AND CONTENT (original) (raw)
Related papers
2015
This study examined whether there were cases ofeditorializing news stories in The Port Harcourt Telegraph and National Network as a result olpolitical partisanship oftheir owners who were frontline members ofpolitical parties and ifso, whether such amounted to gross ethical misconduct in the practice otjournalism. The study determined, ifever, the act of editorializing news by the newspaper owners affected the credibility ofthe newspapers; ascertained ifever, how their editorializing news flouted the ethics ofthe press; compared the two newspapers in terms ofextent ofneutrality to perceived interest and the level ofdistortion ot straight news stories and flouting ofethics. The triangulation research design ofquantitative and qualitative content analyses was employed to measure the extentofeditorializing straight news stories by the newspapers. The findings showed that ownership influenced both newspapers in editorializing their straight news stories which were severally partisan, th...
Path of Science, 2023
The paper investigated the audience's perception of the influence of government ownership of NTA on the principle of truth, fairness and balance. The media ownership theory and the social responsibility theory served as the theoretical underpinnings for the study. The study used a mixed method design, including an in-depth interview for the qualitative data and a survey for the quantitative data. The Wimmer and Dominick online sample size calculator was used to determine a sample size of 384 from the population of 555,500. Data was collected using a questionnaire and interview guide. Multi-stage and purposive sampling procedures were used. The results showed the respondents' high knowledge of the journalistic principles of truth, justice, and balance in news reporting. The respondents have a negative perception towards government ownership of NTA and the practices of the journalists regarding truth, fairness, and balance in news reportage, as the ownership affects the practices of journalists in upholding the principle of truth, fairness, and balance in news reportage. The study further revealed that the respondents perceive that the influence of government control of NTA limits the freedom of the press, which is against the ethics and demands of professional journalism. The paper concluded that when news stories are written and framed in the interest of the owners rather than the public interest, it kills journalistic ethics and professionalism as well as the social responsibility role of the media.
Konfrontasi Journal: Culture, Economy and Social Changes, 2025
For journalists to function effectively, an atmosphere devoid of coercion and interference is needed, so as to afford them the opportunity and freedom to generate and distribute contents that are not biased, or value-laden. However, in recent times, journalists have had to contend with undue pressure from their employers (“pay masters”); this impede on fair and accurate reportage. The paper investigated the extent to which such interference in the operations of journalists, among others, could be a catalyst for alternative means of content dissemination, like citizen journalism among professional journalists in mainstream media. The Authoritarian and Democratic Participant Media theories were the theoretical foundations upon which this investigation was based. Using qualitative research method, 12 journalists (6 from Delta Broadcasting Service, Warri and 3 from Rize FM, and Crown FM, Warri respectively) were randomly selected. Interview was used as the instrument of data collection. Findings revealed that journalists were sometimes cowed to report issues that advance their owners' interest, and were also restricted from publishing content that may hinder their owners` interest. It also revealed that journalists sometimes engage in citizen journalism practice by circumventing such interference, and publishing through other social media platforms. The study recommended, among others, that journalists should be allowed to practice without pressure from their employers, and that they should stick to the ethics of their profession.
The Influence of Media Ownership and Control on Media Agenda Setting in Nigeria
This study assessed the influence of media ownership and control on media agenda setting using Nigeria as a case. The core method of data collection in this study was in-depth interview. The sampling methods employed include the Cluster sampling and the purposive sampling since the data expected requires an in-depth knowledge of the Nigerian media landscape. The finding of this study revealed that different levels of government in Nigeria which comprises of state and federal governments, serving and retired high level public and private officials, politicians, as well as influential businessmen and women, own most of the media organizations in Nigeria. It was observed that these groups of people (the ruling elite) are the core "news makers" whose views and opinions populate most of the views, news, opinions and information disseminated in the media in Nigeria. The findings further showed that the current media ownership pattern and the level of media control in Nigeria actually hinder the media from independently setting society's agenda.
Influence of Ownership on Media Objectivity in Nigeria
Babcock Journal of Management and Social Sciences, 2012
This paper examines the subject of media ownership and its influence on objectivity in the Nigerian socio-political milieu. Using the social responsibility, postmodernism and gatekeeping theories of the press, and taking off from global views on the subject, the paper critically examines the practicality or otherwise of objectivity in journalistic practice in the face of several factors, especially ownership. The study also discusses the background to media ownership in Nigeria using this as a basis for highlighting specific instances where objectivity has been an issue in media practice. The authors conclude that although objectivity is desirable for the good of the society, it can only be achieved through the conscious effort of media owners and the deliberate exercise of the willpower by media professionals to pursue professional excellence.
(Published) Press Ownership and Nigeria's Democracy
Africa Journal of African Communication Research. Volume 8, No. 1, 2019
This paper examines the effect upon democracy of press ownership in the context of Nigeria. Scholars have used a framework of reference drawn from Marxist political economy to reduce patterns of media ownership in Nigeria to mainly class interests. This study investigates if and how newspaper proprietors shape their news organisations and explores the implications of their influence on Nigeria’s political process. Evidence from focus group discussions and semi-structured interviews indicate that owners of newspapers exert political influence on the way news is selected, framed and reported to the extent that news reportage not only complicates Nigeria’s regional political rivalry and consolidating democracy; it also hinders efforts at modernisation. This paper will seek to elucidate these issues and make recommendations concerning the maintenance of a democratic press. It suggests that the press needs to offer a more professional, robust and comprehensive worldview for public interest.
Analysis of the Editorial Content of Nigerian National Newspapers
This study analyzed the editorials of Nigeria 'snational newspapers to determine the nature, content, type~ and quality of presentation. The major focits of the study is to assess the rqle of editorials in community conversation by analyzing their stand on com»junity and national issues. The results of the analyses showed that editorials concentrate most of its themes on socio economic issf,l.es and news editorials are C9mmonly used to present these issues. To maintain their role as a community voice, it is recOmmended that professionalism, objectivity, ethical considerations, fairness and sound journalism should constitute the hallmark of editorial policies and writing. To also ensure that these journalistic principles are not flagrantly abused, edito~iq.l independence is suggested. To enhance this independence, corporate or people ownership of newspaper organizations is advocated. This wlll cwb tf].e e~cesses of individual newspaper puf?lishers who are hell bent on pi.lrsuing parochial, personal interests against cothm!init)i and national flOals.
Journal of Communication and Media Research, 2020
The mass media serve as the forum for public discussions, political debates and the forging of consensus. However, it has been argued that media efforts to engage, empower and educate audiences are puny owing to several factors such as excessive reliance on public relations contents and well-funded agendas that dominate the media space. Media Studies in many countries have confirmed the growing reliance of journalists on Public Relations (PR) materials—also called information subsidy—but studies in Nigeria have not investigated this phenomenon and its implications for media gatekeeping and agenda-setting functions. The current study was designed to fill this gap. Agenda-setting and Gatekeeping media theories were employed as framework, while mixed methods design was adopted. From two Tier-1 newspapers (The Guardian and Punch), a total of 1,216 news stories drawn through constructed week sampling from 4-11 January 2016, the year the first Nigerian PR industry report was published, were content analysed. This study confirmed the growing reliance of Nigerian newspapers on information subsidy. This reliance on PR materials weakened the gatekeeping function of Nigerian newspapers but did not undermine their agenda-setting function as the newspapers devoted their prominent pages (17%) to self-generated contents compared to the volume of materials PR (20.3%) confined to inner and less-prominent pages.
2015
My research starts from the premise that the contemporary role of Nigeria's regionally concentrated newspapers hubs in the current political dispensation, particularly after the return to civil rule in 1999, and their forward and backward linkages to content, ownership, public opinion, North/South politics and national integration has not been sufficiently investigated. Mainstream scholarship and a series of commentaries written within a framework of reference drawn from Marxist political economy reduce patterns of ownership to predominant class interests, an unproven assumption, especially for the post 1999 period. The press in Nigeria influenced decolonization (1940s), national independence (1960) and return of civil rule (1999); however, newspapers are polarised along regional and ethnic lines. This study investigates the political effects, if any, of regional concentration of newspaper ownership and production on democracy in Nigeria since 1999 on one hand while on the other; it evaluates the impact of newspapers' regional concentration on the democratic process. Using mixed research methods, the findings indicate that in its current composition and by its institutional structures, the press in Nigeria is embedded in religious, v ACKNOWLEDGEMENT This research endeavour would not have been possible without the support, goodwill and assistance of many people. I would like to express my very great appreciation to my project supervisor and academic mentor, Professor Tom Lodge for his patient guidance, enthusiastic encouragement and useful critiques for this research work. His willingness to oversee this work successfully is so generously appreciated.
News Commercialisation, Objective Journalism Practice and the Sustenance of Democracy in Nigeria
Higher Education of Social Science, 2012
In recent journalism practice, news is increasingly becoming a commodity valued for its role in informing or persuading the public on political, social, cultural and economic issues. Thus, in modern journalism practice, news is commercialised to the extent that only the rich get their ideas communicated to the members of the public. This in turn, affects objective journalism practice, both in the print and electronic media, thereby, negatively impacting on democracy. The survival of democracy depends on the flow of information to the people. Objective journalism practice is needed in democracy. The journalist decides which information will go forward and which will not. Important to realise is that journalists are able to control the public's knowledge of the actual events by letting some stories pass through the system, while keeping others out. The paper, therefore, evaluates the impact of news commercialisation on objective journalism practice and how it in turn, affects the sustenance of democracy. That is, whether it has negative or positive impact on democracy in Nigeria. The paper examines the rationale behind news commercialisation vis-à-vis its dangers and implications on the sustenance of Nigeria's democracy; it is anchored on gate keeping theory and the social responsibility theory. In addition, the paper proffers solutions on how to better practise journalism that will earn the goodwill and confidence of the people and contributing positively to democracy, not only in Nigeria, but the entire Africa.