Hazard of Journalism Profession in Nigeria Under Military Regime
CHAPTER ONE
OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
The aim of the research should be to find out:
- The dangers, which confront journalism profession within the period under review.
- If it is unethical to criticize government policies/actions or public figures.
- The implication of such extra-journalistic laws in the profession of journalism in Nigeria.
CHAPTER TWO
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
NIGERIA: MEDIA OVERVIEW
Nigeria possesses one of Africa’s most vibrant and still thriving media on the continent. In almost five decades, the Nigerian media has blossomed and survived several attempts at curbing it. With over 100 newspapers and magazines in circulation and presently over television stations with about a dozen of them privately owned and a proliferation of about 100 AM and FM (mostly private) radio stations,14 the media are not doing badly. Radio remains king. In 1994 the deregulation of the broadcast sector led to the emergence of private television and radio stations which was dynamic in altering the media landscape. The free rein of these private media organs was somewhat curtailed in 2004, when Nigeria’s National Broadcasting Commission, NBC, the government regulator, banned the live relay of foreign news and programs on domestic channels. This was seen as a subtle kind of censor by a government that was politically insecure. However, it is in the newspapers (print media) that the backbone of the Nigerian media can be located. This is clearly justified by the history of the media industry. The combined circulation of the newspapers in Nigeria has been on a steady decline, hovering around half a million in a country of nearly 140 million. The reasons for the decline include the economic downturn, the high cost of newsprint, and a marginalized middle class and in recent times the advent of the internet and the multiplicity of online platforms to obtain news and information for free.
THE MEDIA UNDER MILITARY RULE
It is perhaps under military rule that the performance of the media in nation building can be best examined, with respect to how it raised the consciousness of the people, held accountable members of the ruling class and how it set or failed to set the agenda for a more cohesive society. Nigerian journalists see themselves not just as chroniclers of events but as stakeholders in the Nigerian project. The experience of the media was forged in the furnace of political activism during the fight for independence and during the struggle against military dictatorship. Thus the work of the media is informed largely by political experience and the perception of their role as agents of change and the conscience of the nation. The slant, the perspective and the nature of coverage of developments offered by the media is reflective of the ethnic and religious fault lines that characterize the Nigerian state. This has called into question the effectiveness of the press as a neutral arbiter. As one report describes it, “Although the press was intended to be a “watchdog” for the country, similar to its role in free countries such as the United Kingdom or the United States, it has had difficulty fulfilling that role due to the demands of the various competing special interest groups. The large number of different voices created something of a marketplace of ideas. The stratification of the Nigerian media into the southwest, northern and government media is instructive in understanding the positions taken by its different segments. To talk of ‘the northern media’ may generate a serious debate from media experts, but statistically it exists.
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Research design
The researcher used descriptive research survey design in building up this project work the choice of this research design was considered appropriate because of its advantages of identifying attributes of a large population from a group of individuals. The design was suitable for the study as the study sought to hazard of journalism profession in Nigeria under military regime
Sources of data collection
Data were collected from two main sources namely:
Primary source and Secondary source
Primary source:
These are materials of statistical investigation which were collected by the research for a particular purpose. They can be obtained through a survey, observation questionnaire or as experiment; the researcher has adopted the questionnaire method for this study.
Secondary source:
These are data from textbook Journal handset etc. they arise as byproducts of the same other purposes. Example administration, various other unpublished works and write ups were also used.
CHAPTER FOUR
PRESENTATION ANALYSIS INTERPRETATION OF DATA
Introduction
Efforts will be made at this stage to present, analyze and interpret the data collected during the field survey. This presentation will be based on the responses from the completed questionnaires. The result of this exercise will be summarized in tabular forms for easy references and analysis. It will also show answers to questions relating to the research questions for this research study. The researcher employed simple percentage in the analysis.
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
5.1 Introduction
It is important to ascertain that the objective of this study was to ascertain hazard of journalism profession in Nigeria under military regime. In the preceding chapter, the relevant data collected for this study were presented, critically analyzed and appropriate interpretation given. In this chapter, certain recommendations made which in the opinion of the researcher will be of benefits in addressing challenges of hazard of journalism profession in Nigeria under military regime
Summary
This study was on hazard of journalism profession in Nigeria under military regime. Four objectives were raised which included: The dangers, which confront journalism profession within the period under review and If it is unethical to criticize government policies/actions or public figures and the implication of such extra-journalistic laws in the profession of journalism in Nigeria. In line with these objectives, two research hypotheses were formulated and two null hypotheses were posited. The total population for the study is 200 members of NUJ, Abuja. The researcher used questionnaires as the instrument for the data collection. Descriptive Survey research design was adopted for this study. A total of 133 respondents made production chairmen, secretaries, new members and old members were used for the study. The data collected were presented in tables and analyzed using simple percentages and frequencies
Conclusion
The press experienced challenging times in the military era. The tougher section of the press obviously confronted the military through their pen, albeit from the underground. Those who weren’t directly confrontational were however loathed, even for their sophistry, elegance or their punch. By implications, no section of the press was left out of the military crisis in Nigeria. It all reflects the impatience of a regime for the civil engagement for which the press is primed
RECOMMENDATION
From the ashes of media resistance to military rule, came a beaten press, ever determined to protect democracy, and with the continued determination of the vibrant press to guide the democratic experience, the military should have gone for good, in Africa’s most populous nation.
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