Critical Journalism and Democratic Governance in Nigeria

Democratic governance is the most popular system of government the world over. It is the government that enhances human rights as well as political participation among the citizens. Critical journalism is one of the factors of effective democratic governance. This paper is as assessment of the contribution of critical journalism to democratic governance in Nigeria. It adopted the descriptive research method whereby relevant literature, documents and records were consulted and analysed based on existing realities, and anchored on the precepts of the social responsibility theory. The paper reveals that, given the dynamic nature of the technology-driven society, journalism entails more than the mere conventional practice of reporting based on the 5W1H to an in-depth interpretation and analysis of the information so reported. Findings also reveal that, critical journalism has played an invaluable role in the sustenance of democratic governance in Nigeria, especially during the present era (1999- date) of democratic governance in the country. Such roles include checkmating excesses in governance, serving as a watchdog over government and breaching the communication gap between the government and the governed. Based on the findings of this paper it is recommended, among others, that Journalists should strive to go beyond merely reporting based on the 5W1H approach, but engage in in-depth investigation, interpretation and unbiased analysis to upgrade the standard of conventional journalism to critical journalism. Keywords: Critical journalism, democratic governance, democratic process, social responsibility, watchdo

Influence of Mass Media Law and Ethics on Journalism Practice in Nigeria

This study examined the influence of mass media laws and ethics on journalism practice in Nigeria. In other words, it set out to assess how media laws and ethics affect the standard of journalism practice in the country. The study was a survey. The population consisted of the 351 registered journalists in Akwa Ibom State of Nigeria. The study adopted the census method, thus the population remained the same as the sample. Out of the 351 copies of the questionnaire administered, 343 were properly filled and returned to the researchers. The data gathered were analysed using the simple percentages and based on the 5-point Likert scale. The study revealed that despite the importance of media laws and ethics to journalism practice, journalists' adherence to media laws and ethics was low. The study also revealed that journalists sometimes contravened media laws and ethics because of sycophancy, security reasons, desperation, greed, ethical dilemmas, ignorance of media laws and ethics, and laziness. Based on the findings of the study, it was recommended that media establishments should endeavour to employ only trained journalists to work as journalists. Again media organisations should establish legal departments so as to guide journalists in the establishment on how to practice within the bounds of applicable laws and ethics.  The Ethics Committee of the Nigeria Union of Journalists should regularly review the ethical conducts of journalists and encourage them to adhere to their code of practice. Key Words: Mass media law, media ethics, journalism practice, professionalism, media accountabilit

Freedom of Information Act 2011 and Press Freedom: Challenges and Prospects for Media Practice in Nigeria

Information flow is not just a fundamental ingredient of democracy but also a sine qua none to the overall development of the society. Journalism plays an important role in ensuring that relevant information of significance is gathered, processed and transmitted to the citizenry. This paper hinged on access to and transmission of information. Specifically, it examined the Freedom of Information Act, 2011 and press freedom vis-a-vis their implications for journalism practice in Nigeria. The paper is a product of descriptive research and document analysis. Findings revealed that Nigeria’s Freedom of Information Act was not enacted exclusively to aid journalism practice, rather for use by the generality of Nigerians. However, if the applicable aspect of Act is properly harnessed by journalists, the contents of Nigerian mass media would be enriched. It is therefore recommended that the Nigerian Press Council should sponsor a bill in the National Assembly for the enactment of Journalism Practice Act in order to enhance professionalism and efficiency in journalism practice. Again, Nigerian journalists should not over-rely on the assurances of the Act as they are nothing far from façade, rather journalists should keep engaging in investigative journalism so as to publish the real truth not what public officers call the truth