The Effect Of Ownership On Political Campaign And Reporting In Nigeria, A Study Of Guardian Newspaper

The Effect Of Ownership On Political Campaign And Reporting In Nigeria, A Study Of Guardian Newspaper

Chapter One

Preface

This paper evaluates Nigerian press reportage of political crusade during the 2011 presidential election. The major focus of the paper is to assess the part of the Nigerian press in the struggle for political position.

Arguments live that the part of the Nigerian press in the struggle for political liberation can be greatly influence by power. An proprietor said to be that person or group of persons who brings together the fiscal and mortal resource demanded for the handling of a business enterprise similar as a review house.

still, this influence is more conspicuous when such a review is possessed by the government such a paper is anticipated to reflect the exposure and views of itsowner.However, it’ll be independent in its reportage, If the review is intimately possessed.

It’s in view of this, that this study wants to looks at how power of the colorful mediums affects their reportage of the political crusade 2011 presidential election.

Background Of The Study

Media power and control/ influence are intertwined. The power interests affect what’s covered and what isn’t covered as well as the manner of content. Power impacts the contents in print publication and the information the compendiums admit. Power influence occasionally accounts for the different performances of the same happenings.

Mc Quail( 2005,P.292), opining on power and influence in the media, espouses therefore

There’s an ineluctable tendency for possessors of news media to set broadline of policy, which are likely to be followed by the tract staff they employ. There may also be informal and circular pressure on particular issues that count to possessors( for case, relating to their business interest).

Media outfits ought to be unprejudiced and independent. But as we know, power has influence in the functioning of the outfit. The media dames to the tune of the proprietor.

Power is a critical factor in the regulation of the mass media. Media directors are frequently faced with the dilemma of balancing the media proprietor’s interest and those of the public without informing on the laws of the candor the ethnics of the profession. Whether media is public or private, the interest of the proprietor plays a dominant part in determining what the media mangers do or fail to do. Hardly can an proprietor tolerate a director who operates contrary to his interest.

Solomon,G.A., Margaret,S.A. & Joseph,A.T.( 2009,P.23). linked types of media power as therefore

Government Power

Private Power

Political Party Power and

Religious Power

The political party power owns and finances the media outfit. The media serve as the mouth organ of that political party. The media is principally to circulate information about the party and canvass support for it. The political party has control over the fiscal affairs and the tract contents of similar media.

It’s a common belief that the progress of a society without a mannish press will nearly always be retarded. The reason is simple the press as watchdog of the society is charged with the responsibility of icing that both the government and the governed don’t at any time or in any way shirk the liabilities to each other.

It’s also an egregious fact that the Nigerian press has proved itself to be one of the most mannish in the world having played a vital part in the nation’s social, political and artistic life. The press has taken its due position as a deciding factor in the nation’s ancient and ultramodern political development as well as in the laborious task of nation structure.

Having said these, it’s essential to keep in mind that the strength of the press depends to a veritably large extent on how free it’s to operate and its position of independence.

This beginning factor could be said to be responsible for the success of some media associations, which continue to enjoy wide acceptance from the citizens especially the millions who constitute the vast maturity of the population.

The commercial press testament holds that the press must be

Free from hindrance by state, commercial and other factional interest.

devoted to the public’s right to know.

Committed to literacy and presenting the verity at all times and being objective and factual in reporting( Aitschill, 1947,P.74).

The social responsibility proposition accept that the part of the press is in serving the profitable and political system, enlightening the public, securing of the individual and furnishing good entertainment( Siebert et al, 1956,P.44).

Hence, the press has set up itself being manipulated by three orders of people forcing it out of its own influence. This is anticipated because these elites have all it takes to drown the voice of the press at times, because they’re prospectors of similar media outfits or because they’ve the authority of state of influence what the media presents to the public.

This dominant political frugality testament, which the press tends to subscribe to, has been its bane, as it negates the abecedarian gospel of the press accessible in a cultivated system where the media operate freely.

rather of being an independent agent of change, the press has simply come a source of delectation for the elites. For the political elites, it is simply a more important tool for promoting political course through the capers of news operation and propaganda in order to achieve both public and private ends.

The press thus tends to assume an establishment or opposition identity depending on the political status of these nobility who have all it takes to control them especially when the issue of power is involved.

In this regard, the performance of media outfits can be reflected in the cannon axiom that “ it is he who pays the piper that calls the tune ” hence rather of a “ watchdog ” the Nigeria press is simply a canine fed and regulated by its master and is anticipated to watch and work for the master.

This analysis shows that the Nigeria press lacks the artistic identity that’s getting the press, which operate in a artistic system. The dominant political profitable culture of the possessors of media association is obviously responsible for this. This station diminishes the neutrality of the press and therefore forms the crux of this exploration.

For the purpose of clarity and convenience, this study will predicate on check of guardian on the reportage of an issue that shook the fabric of our nation; the political crusade of the 2011 presidential election, in whichDr. Goodluck Jonathan came the winner.

Statement Of The Problem

The media is clearly an agent of positive change in the society and a catalyst in nation structure but unfortunately possessors of media associations tend to ply so important influence, snooping and manipulation on news content to gratify their selfish ends, this hampering the neutrality by the dictates of the media artistic identity and ethnics. According to Gerhard Wendler( 1996,P.44), he opines that

“ The press occupies a strategies position in impacting the course of event in the society and this is because it’s the custodian of and accessory to information and whichever it decides to do with similar may go a long way in helping to impact the direction in which the society moves ”.

It’s a abecedarian part and responsibility of the press to act as the custodian of public consequence, watchdog over government conditioning, muscle of public opinion, as well as essential agent in easing the development of a nation.

still, for the press to effective performs its function, its independence must be guaranteed, it must be devoid of sentiment and distribution.

Media association are established to serve the millions but with the issue of power it come near insolvable to categorically determine if media association are truly independent of the influence and altitude of their possessors.

Exploration Question

The review can attract and direct attention to problems, result or people in ways which can favour a popular seeker or indeed the opposition seeker during election. In some cases, the review can serve as a channel of persuasion and rallying of resource, information and force. Looking at the impact review plays in propagating information during election and how it influences the values and norms by which issue are addressed, it’s important that this study will seek to answer the following question.

How does the power influence affect the performance of media interpreters?

Does the policy of a particular media determine its conditioning?

Does the interest of the media proprietor influence guru style of reporting?

Purpose Of The Study

Bearing in mind, that media outfits have a duty to serve the people but that the issue of power poses a trouble to this ethical function. still this work attempt to

Established the impact of power on political crusade and reporting.

Established position of independence which the press has, observable in political courage.

Ascertain what’s the artistic identity of the press and the bearing it has with the abecedarian gospel.

Offer result( s) to secure the neutrality and fairness character of the media.

This study will also essay to estimate the performance of the press through reportage of review association in the right of the anticipated performance of the press, as defined in its function and ethnics.

In addition, the wok will compare and differ the part conception and part geste of the press against the background of the political profitable testament of prospectors of review outfit using the reportage of 2011 presidential crusade using guardian as a case study.

Compass Of The Study

The compass of the study is depended on the part of the guardian review during the 2011 presidential choices.

The reason for using guardian as an object of focus is because of its power pattern, rotation strength, vacuity and which range of courage of both public and transnational political issues.

Significance Of The Study

Considering the before bandied dominant tendencies of possessors of media association and the subservient station of journalists and editors who are the main players of media places, it’s essential to embark on similar work as this towards farther sensitizing media workers especially intelligencer on their determinate part and liabilities to the society.

It’s hoped that the study will awaken the editors to support their station on matter affecting their day to day tract function and issue affecting press freedom.

likewise, it’s intended to serve as a remainder to proprietor of media outfits that the use of the media as exclusive propaganda organs is a series abuse of the media.

Limitation Of The Study

No sound disquisition can be carried out without manacle which tends in threatens the success of the exploration. This exploration work is no impunity.

One of the problems encountered by the experimenter is time.

As a result of the short duration of the session, it wasn’t an easy task digging classroom conditioning with going to address to collect accoutrements for the exploration.

Couple with the below problem is accoutrements . Due to poor state of the polytechnics library to another looking for applicable accoutrements for the exploration and farther exacerbated the precarious fiscal position of the experimenter as a pupil.

functional description OF TERMS

The following terms are defines as they’re used in the study.

POWER ELITES

relate to a cream of people generally a cross section of the over eloquent elites of the ruling class in the society who by virtual of their profitable and political power retain an influence or control over the review.

PERFORMANCE

Capability of the press to carry its function judiciously in compliance without its professional testament with being bias.

Power INFLUENCE

The power which the proprietor of a review outdoors over the policy and the general content of the review.

CONTENT

Any restrain or constraint in the review.

MEDIA

The channel or bias and process f gathering and propagating information idea station and influence to the publice.g. review.

neutrality