The Impact of the Media in Promoting Good Governance in Nigeria (a Case Study of Vanguard Newspaper)
CHAPTER ONE
Objectives of the Study
The broad objective of this study is to analyze the impact of the media in promoting good governance in Nigeria by using Vanguard Newspaper as a case study. Other specific objectives include:
- To examine the roles that the Nigerian media has been playing in promoting good governance in the country.
- To explore the relationship between the media and good governance in Nigeria.
- To also examine the challenges faced by the media in promoting good governance in Nigeria.
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
INTRODUCTION
Our focus in this chapter is to critically examine relevant literature that would assist in explaining the research problem and furthermore recognize the efforts of scholars who had previously contributed immensely to similar research. The chapter intends to deepen the understanding of the study and close the perceived gaps.
CONCEPTUAL REVIEW
Media
The media, with specific reference to the collective entity of newspapers, radio, television and the Internet, are important in shaping the development process of a country. Development involves changes or advancement in a nation aimed at improving the political, economic and social lives of the people. It is a multidimensional process of action, organization and communication and involves economic, political, social and cultural factors The real influence of the media in national development will depend on the media themselves, the societies in which they operate, and the audience they reach. None of these factors are the same everywhere, at all times, or all conditions. The media in dictatorships, for example, are not likely to exercise the same influence as those in democratic societies. The media‟s crucial role in national development is not in doubt. The role covers the political, economic and social spheres. The media set the public agenda and act as the gatekeeper of public issues. They perform the watchdog role especially in political transparency and fight against corruption. As the fourth estate, the media provide the checks and balances in relation to the three branches of government, as created by the constitution. Media are particularly important in facilitating nationbuilding especially of post-colonial societies and those experiencing ethnic and religious diversities. The media has been variously defined by scholars of mass communication among which media is referred to as a collective means of communication by which general public or populace is kept informed about the day to day happenings in the society. The media is also said to be an aggregation of all communication channels that use techniques of making a lot of direct personal communication between the communicator and the public. While talking of mass media however, the word “mass” means a large number of people or collection of organs of communication and information dissemination that reaches out a large number of people. The information circulation is not only confined within members of the public but the media also serves to coordinate the information flow between government and the public and vice versa.
Mass Media (Newspapers)
The mass media refers to all the avenue through which information can be passed from one person to numerous, scattered and heterogeneous audiences. They also mean the vehicles through which messages, information, ideas, knowledge and culture are transmitted to a large audience. According to Nwosu (1996:11), cited in Afamuefuna (2007), mass media are a technical communication concept which refers to the devices employed by anyone involved in a mass mediated communication situation for moving messages across distance or time. Thus, the mass media are the major modern means of communicating simultaneously and sometime instantaneously with a large scattered heterogeneous and anonymous audience. These include radio, television, newspaper, magazine, and the internet. Because the mass media are the only source of news for most individuals, the presence of democratic or special bias in the media may have profound effect. Public dependence on the media also gives them the power to set political or democratic agenda and determine which issues will be the subject of public debate. Through the mass media, the citizens are educated on their rights and privileges so as to participate meaningfully in the democratic process (Mile, 2009). The word newspaper, as now employed, covers so wide a field that it’s difficult or seemingly impossible to give a definite definition of it. According to the English Newspaper Libel and Registration Act of 1881, it is defined as any paper containing public news, intelligence or occurances, or any remarks or observations Theron printed for sale, and published periodically, or in parts or numbers at intervals not exceeding twenty-six days. Also, the British Post Office defined it as any publication that summarizes the wording, printed and published in numbers, at intervals of not more than seven days, considering wholly or in parts of political or other news, or critical relating thereto or to other current topics, with or without advertisements. In ordinary practice, the news paper, as distinguished from other forms of periodicals mean, the daily or weekly publications which are principally concerned with reporting and commenting upon general current event.
According to Quinn (2005), newspapers are portable and flexible and give readers a chance to go into detail about a subject and discover things they did not know about. Given a reasonable degree of education, they are easy to read and navigate. Newspapers have an ability to provide a reflective and analytical mode of commentary that is missing in instantaneous broadcasting and unavailable in most other news media. Broadsheets have utilized internet capacity as they can today provide exhaustive connections from their own archives to help readers pursue their particular interests, sometimes in considerable depth.Therefore, newspapers can claim to have become enabling portals, opening up from their own output into a range of parallel source. According to Nwabueze, C., Nnaemeka, F., Umeora, D., & Okika, E. (2015), both newspapers have made use of the internet to add to their spectrum of services and this has been aimed at maintaining their brand appeal and to reinforce their interactivity in an age where linear modes of media perception are increasingly becoming outdated. Newspapers are among the major sources of information, opinion and analysis. They impart knowledge and influence the understanding of issues by their readers (Talabi, 2017). Anaeto et al. (2009) sees newspaper as an unbound publication both in print and non-print form and content of the paper can be read repeatedly. Data on the actual number of newspapers in Nigeria is difficult to come by. Information retrieved from the Nigerian Guild of Editors’ website confirmed that only 27 national dailies, 5 magazines and 8 online media remain active in Nigeria as of October 2016. This goes to show that a good number of newspapers have folded up in Nigeria in the last two decades while others have simply transmuted through buy-outs or acquisition
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 FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
SUMMARY
The broad objective of this study is to analyze the impact of the media in promoting good governance in Nigeria by using Vanguard Newspaper as a case study. It examine the roles that the Nigerian media has been playing in promoting good governance in the country. It explored the relationship between the media and good governance in Nigeria. It also examine the challenges faced by the media in promoting good governance in Nigeria.
The study adopted a survey research design and with the aid of convenient sampling method, the researcher enrolled 36 participants in the study who are media practitioners in Vanguard Newspaper in Lagos State. Well structured questionnaire was issued and a total of 30 responses were received and validated from the enrolled participants. Data was analyzed in simple percentage using frequencies and tables.Hypothesis test was conducted using Chi-Square statistical tool (spss).
CONCLUSION
Achieving Good Governance requires the understanding and participation of every member of the society. However, it has been observed that for governance to be just and democratic, leaders more than any other sector of the society need to use their power responsibly and for the greater good. Systems and procedures need to be in place that impose restraints on power and encourage government officials to act in the public’s best interests. From the result of the study, the following conclusions were ascertained:
There is a significant correlation between media challenges and promotion of good governance. More so the media promotes good governance by helping to creating public awareness on new government policies. They provide platforms for public debate on the effect of new national issues of concern and They issue public orientation on political issues and voters education. however the media face challenges such as Unprofessionalism in sticking to the ethic of journalism Inability of sourcing news from reliable avenue and Undue interference from government.
RECOMMENDATION
The media, their roles, channels and contents, are considered powerful enough to make this achievement a reality. The Nigerian media have been in the vanguard for the promotion and sustenance of the democracy we now have in the country, even the struggle for independence was pioneered and fought for by the Nigerian media. But a great number of existing media channels in the country need to take up the responsibility of adequately engendering better governance in our democratic polity. As the institution mandated to hold those in governance accountable, the Nigerian media can effectively achieve this if they apply the basic principles of patriotism, accountability, transparency and objectivity in the discharge of their duties as well as uphold the sanctity of truth and fairness at all times. In effect, for the media to contribute to Good Governance, the media must embrace the principles of Good Governance themselves as a critical precondition for effectiveness in the discharging their functions to the Nigerian society. The watchdogs must watch themselves.
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