A STUDY OF MEDIA OWNERSHIP AND THE CREDIBILITY OF NEWS REPORTING IN NIGERIA

A STUDY OF MEDIA OWNERSHIP AND THE CREDIBILITY OF NEWS REPORTING IN NIGERIA

Background of the Study

As a watchdog and a mirror of the country, the media plays an important role in society and has a significant effect on editorial policy. We will include not only the mechanical devices that transmit and sometimes, messages (TV cameras, radio microphones, printing press), but also the institutions that use these machines to transmit messages, according to Lazar field and Kendal (2002). When we refer to the people, policies, organizations, and technology that go into mass communication productions, we are referring to television, radio, newspaper, magazine, sound recording, and film (Dominick, 2007).

The term "mass media" refers to technology that is designed to reach a large audience. It is the most common mode of communication for reaching the great majority of the general people. Newspapers, magazines, radio, television, and the Internet are the most prevalent outlets for mass media (Ngoa, 2006). The general population often relies on the media for information on political, social, and entertainment topics, as well as pop culture news.

News sources have a significant influence on the general public and on public opinion on particular subjects due to their use of mass media. In many circumstances, the media is the sole source of information available to the general people. For example, when Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon in 1969, the world was able to witness this momentous event thanks to the media.

Because the media house's owner(s) normally does or does the aforementioned aspects, the media house's sponsorship, control, and recruitment of its major employees have created influential factors resulting in the editorial policy of the media house (Nordenstreng 2005). As a result, media ownership has affected editorial policy in various ways, posing challenges to journalism as a profession. The editorial writing in this scenario must adhere to the policy framework and editorial norms. Nothing brings down the editor more than having the option of either following the policy or resigning or being fired. Because of the influence of media ownership on editorial policy, numerous newspapers have gone out of business and lost their audience. Nordenstreng (Nordenstreng, 2005). As a privately held newspaper, Announcer Newspapers does not have many restrictions that impact its audience, with the exception that its front and back page articles are concentrated on Imo state. It is frequently up against severe competition from national and other local media. People from other states, on the other hand, might consider purchasing a newspaper to be a waste of money because it seldom spreads its tentacles.

Uche (2009) claims that the media proprietors in Nigeria are not only important capitalists in their own right, but they are also strongly related to the world's governing circles. Furthermore, the outcome Indicates that the existing media ownership pattern in Nigeria has a negative impact on the media's capacity to operate freely. This is shown by the circumstance in which journalists working for both commercial and public media organizations ensure that their stories are not seen as "unfavorable" by the current administration.

Because of the threat of sanctions, public media, which is supported with public monies and controlled by public authorities, does not criticize government acts or inactions (Uche, 2009). Many public media executives have been known to lose their jobs as a result of their disagreements with government authorities. Some private media operations founded by allies of public officials have an indirect impact on how private media outlets are operated.

"He who pays the piper calls the tune," as the saying goes in the news. The editorial policies of media organizations have continued to be influenced by ownership. It has become so bad in certain media organizations that journalistic ethics are being traded for the ideas and judgments of the owners. "There is no question that owners in market-based media have ultimate authority over content and may ask for what they want to be included or left," Dare (2000) said in a paper on the impact of ownership on mass media content. This is against journalistic ethics. Government-owned media organizations, particularly in Africa, are more influenced by media ownership. Owners' excesses are regulated by legislation in nations such as the United States of America and the United Kingdom. In the United Kingdom, the government has little (if any) control over the programming produced by the British Broadcasting Corporation. Meyer's survey results, according to McQuail (2007), "indicated that US journalistic ethics frowned on owner participation, while editors claimed a good amount of autonomy in practice." In contrast to this poll, Schultz's study of Australian journalists found substantial support for the importance of the fourth estate, but also a realization that it was frequently harmed by financial considerations and owner pressure. Control of any media organization may be separated into three categories, according to a report published by the Media Development and Diversity Agency in South Africa: shareholdings and equity, general management, and editorial control.

"There are codes of good practice that govern how media controllers (editors and station managers) interact as laid out by regulatory bodies," according to the report. However, how many media owners follow these rules? In Africa, the government has repeatedly used state-owned media to silence the opposition. During presidential election campaigns across the continent, many governments have used these media to their advantage, particularly if the current government is contesting. In such cases, the opposition would have no choice but to pray to God for help. "In addition to the mass media industry's ownership concentration, content provision, packaging, and distribution have also become a standardised production and marketing process in which the messages communicated are contained and directed in both quantity and quality to meet the economic imperatives of media owners," Melody writes in Meier. "The media have a double relation to democracy," Giddens said in Meier. The advent of a global information society is, on the one hand, a major democratizing factor. However, television and other forms of media have a tendency to ruin the very public." The goal of media development in the context of supporting democratic transitions should be to move the media away from being directed or even overtly controlled by government or private interests and toward being more open and having a degree of editorial independence that serves the public interest.

"The earlier mass media of press and radio were commonly viewed as advantageous (even vital) from the conduct of democratic politics," according to Omu (2000). "The normal organization and modes of mass communication limit access and discourage active involvement and conversation," McQuail (2009) observed, referring to the reality that those with the money to run media organizations would always have the upper hand in terms of visibility in the news. In many African countries, government control of print and broadcast media leaves little room for debate and, as a result, public debate. Access to information is critical to the health of democracy for at least two reasons, according to a paper published by the Office of Democracy and Governance in the United States of America in 1999. For starters, it guarantees that individuals make responsible, well-informed decisions rather than acting on the basis of ignorance or disinformation. Second, information acts as a "checking function," ensuring that elected officials keep their oaths of office and carry out the intentions of the people who elected them. The African Charter for Popular Participation in Development and Transformation, formed in Arusha, Tanzania in 1990, was inspired by the perceived importance of the media in building democracy on the continent.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

Most news coverage in Nigeria is determined by the organization's owners and gatekeepers. These are the government's decision-makers, and the gatekeepers, like the governing government, accept instructions from the owners. The administration of radio stations, as well as numerous news editors and news and program producers, are among their ranks (2000). In Nigeria, the ideology of any media operation is determined by the administration in power. The goal of this study is to see how leadership decisions affect radio news coverage.

Second, how might these decisions benefit the general public? Third, how can you persuade the government to intervene less in the station's operations in order to serve their own interests rather than the public's? (Uche, 2009).

The correct news coverage selection and programming may help the radio station succeed. Whatever the practice in Radio Nigeria (FRCN), Nigeria's federal radio corporation, the impact of leadership and gatekeeping on programming is still there, and if not managed properly, it may severely impede the development of any program, which is what the research aims to discover.

It is intended that the responses received would assist the researcher in making observations and policy recommendations that will help re-address the current challenges of radio news coverage in FRCN, if that is ever possible.

1.3 Objectives of the Study

This research is up to achieve the following objectives:

1. To find out the influence of ownership or leadership on radio news coverage of FRCN Enugu.
2. To find out whether radio news covered (coverage) is people’s interest oriented or owner’s interest oriented.
3. To ascertain the influence of gate keepers on radio news coverage.
4. To try to make suggestions in likely areas of recommendation and improvement.

 

1.4 Research Questions

The following questions if properly answered will achieve the aforementioned objectives of the research.

1. To what extent do media influence news coverage?
2. To what extent is the pattern of news people interest oriented or owner’s interest oriented.
3. To what extent does the gate keeper influence radio news coverage
4. What are the suggested areas of recommendation and improvement?

1.5 Research Hypothesis

The hypothesis mentioned below will help the researcher carry out her research more efficiently and will give her more focus and an agenda.

Ho: Ownership or leadership does not have any influence on radio news: coverage.

H1: Ownership or leadership of a media house has influences on radio news coverage.

Ho:    The news coverage of FRCN Enugu is not owner’s interest oriented instead of people’s interest oriented.

H2: The news coverage of FRCN Enugu is owner’s interest oriented instead of people’s interest oriented.

1.6 Significance of the Study

The choice of FRCN as opposed to radio stations is because of its significance in Nigeria. Perhaps, as it has often been said to be the largest radio network in Africa, besides this, it has been a relying point for people (listeners) to hear at prime listening time. Much attention is paid to the news story on network period by Nigerians.

FRCN is believed to have surpassed any other radio station in terms of its wider reach. The ultimate significance of this study will lie with its final utility and its ability to influence the on-going policies on how, where and what news to cover for Nigeria(ns).

1.7 Operational Definition of Terms

1. Influence: means the effect of the government’s ownership or leadership on FRCN news coverage Enugu.
2. Media: the media are tools of communication FRCN as a mass medium tries see how functions, whether it performs all the functions of a medium without intrusion of bias because of its owners or leaders.
3. Ownership: ownership means the legal right to possess something. It is the ownership of a media house especially the ownership of the FRCN station Enugu that manipulates the performance, news coverage and other programs of FRCN
4. News Coverage: this means sourcing for data, information (news) being covered. Also, to find out if the news covered is people’s oriented or government interest oriented.

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