Modern Journalism Practice and the Quest for Professionalism Among Journalist
CHAPTER ONE
Purpose of the Study
- To serve the political system by making information, discussion and consideration for public affairs generally accessible.
- To protect the rights of the individual by acting as watch dog over the government.
- To serve the economic system, for instance by bringing together buyers and sellers through the medium off advertising.
- To preserve financial autonomy in order not to become dependent on special interests and influences.
CHAPTER TWO
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
Journalism as a Profession
According to Odunewu (2003: 3), describes profession as an occupation requiring advanced education and training, involving intellectual skills as in medicine, law, pharmacy, engineering, etc. From this definition, it could be argued that, for journalists to live to their expectations in the society and to require appropriate knowledge and skills to perform those functions as prescribed by the Constitution of Nigeria; journalists must be properly trained in the art and science of journalism. Therefore, a journalist cannot be said to be professional until he or she is virtuous. A virtuous journalist is the one who has respect for and tries to live by the cardinal virtues which Plato prescribes in The Republic (Merrill, 1982). The cardinal virtues which Plato prescribes in The Republic are: wisdom, courage, temperance and justice.
- Wisdom: Wisdom can be defined as the correct application of knowledge. It is what gives direction to moral life and it is the rational, intellectual base for any system of ethics. Wisdom is partly natural and partly acquired. It is acquired through the following ways: maturing, life experiences, study, association, etc.
- Courage: Courage is needed to resist the temptation to do the wrong thing, that is, deviate from the path of wisdom. In other words, it helps a person to pursue the goal which wisdom has helped set for him or her.
- Temperance: This is the virtue which demands reasonable moderation. It helps people to avoid fanaticism in the pursuit of any objective, that is, knowing where to apply the brakes, as it were. 4. Justice: Justice is the virtue which considers a person’s ‘deservingness’. It refers more specifically to a person’s social relation. All men should be treated equally.
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
INTRODUCTION
In this chapter, we described the research procedure for this study. A research methodology is a research process adopted or employed to systematically and scientifically present the results of a study to the research audience viz. a vis, the study beneficiaries.
RESEARCH DESIGN
Research designs are perceived to be an overall strategy adopted by the researcher whereby different components of the study are integrated in a logical manner to effectively address a research problem. In this study, the researcher employed the survey research design. This is due to the nature of the study whereby the opinion and views of people are sampled. According to Singleton & Straits, (2009), Survey research can use quantitative research strategies (e.g., using questionnaires with numerically rated items), qualitative research strategies (e.g., using open-ended questions), or both strategies (i.e., mixed methods). As it is often used to describe and explore human behaviour, surveys are therefore frequently used in social and psychological research.
CHAPTER FOUR
DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS
INTRODUCTION
This chapter presents the analysis of data derived through the questionnaire and key informant interview administered on the respondents in the study area. The analysis and interpretation were derived from the findings of the study. The data analysis depicts the simple frequency and percentage of the respondents as well as interpretation of the information gathered. A total of eighty (80) questionnaires were administered to respondents of which only seventy-seven (77) were returned and validated. This was due to irregular, incomplete and inappropriate responses to some questionnaire. For this study a total of 77 was validated for 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 modern journalism practice and the quest for professionalism among journalist. 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 the challenges of modern journalism practice and the quest for professionalism among journalist
Summary
This study was on modern journalism practice and the quest for professionalism among journalist. Three objectives were raised which included: To serve the political system by making information, discussion and consideration for public affairs generally accessible, to protect the rights of the individual by acting as watch dog over the government, to serve the economic system, for instance by bringing together buyers and sellers through the medium off advertising and to preserve financial autonomy in order not to become dependent on special interests and influences. A total of 77 responses were received and validated from the enrolled participants where all respondents were drawn from selected construction companies in Abuja. Hypothesis was tested using Chi-Square statistical tool (SPSS).
Conclusion
Given that of journalists in Edo State have high level of knowledge of the codes for professional journalism practice in Nigeria, it is safe to conclude that the knowledge of the code is not yet holistic. This might be as a result of the fact that some people who practice journalism are not well trained in the profession. They might have studied other courses and re now learning journalism in the field. Learning in the career is not enough to acquaint one with all the rudiments of the profession. Also, findings revealed that Edo State based journalist comply to the Nigeria codes for professional journalism practice except for the Code on Discrimination which is a pejorative reference to the ethnic group, sex, religion or mental illness of a person when reporting a news story. The researchers conclude that journalists inadvertently fail to adhere to some of the codes for professional journalism practice. As in the case of this study, they have failed to adhere to the code on discrimination.
Recommendation
- The Nigerian Union of Journalists should endeavour to create more awareness on the code for professional journalism practice in Nigeria.
- Journalists should strive to increase their knowledge of the code of conduct of the profession as it will give them enough room to practice within the ambit of the profession.
- Regulatory bodies of the journalism profession should endeavor to see that the fundamental objectives and philosophies of the profession are brought to the practical stage and strictly adhered to by all to promote integrity for the profession.
- The Nigeria Union of Journalist (NUJ) should set up a body that will ensure that journalism apply the codes of ethics in their day to day activities, publications, etc and not just know them, and review the codes of ethics as at when due, to ensure that the journalist work in a favorable settings for the effective applicability of the codes for professional journalism practice.
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