Nigeria: Advocating Development Reporting

The importance of the media in any society cannot be over-emphasised, and through the advent of technology, the world has become a global village. The media perform the role of teaching, informing, educating and entertaining the public, in addition to encouraging socio-economic and political development in nations of the world, Nigeria inclusive.

 

However, it has been discovered that media reporting on developmental issues in Nigeria has not been adequate. Studies reveal that Nigerian media give prominence to politics and business issues while development reporting is scarcely covered. This has, however, affected development and growth in the nation.

 

According to a survey recently released in Media and Development Journal, reports on development issues in Nigerian media have not received adequate attention. The survey revealed that media attention to budget ranks low in comparison with such other development issues as corruption, conflict, trade, environment, and information technology.

 

Experts have equally agreed that, “the relevance of media as a critical interface between the government and the people in democracy is almost gone. “Media reports are mostly uni-polar, from the government to the people without a feedback,” an analyst observed.

 

In apparent response to the trend, International Press Centre (IPC) at a media roundtable organised for journalists has advocated more of development reporting. The seminar tagged “Media Reporting and Advocacy on Development Issues” was organised by IPC in collaboration with Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA). Journalists were advised to take more cognisance of development issues to affect the society more. Speakers at the event also challenged journalists and media houses on the importance of development reporting. Journalists at the forum used the opportunity to express their challenges in development reporting which include, among other things, ownership pattern, lack of modern equipment, gatekeepers (editors) perception on news reporting and the need to beat deadlines.

 

According to Dr. Abigail Ogwezzy, a lecturer at the Mass Communication Department, University of Lagos, media reports are critical in development because of its agenda-setting role, but regretted that the media have not done much in the area of development reporting due to challenges. 

 

 Speaking on “Development Reporting: The essence, the gaps and the challenges,” she declared that lack of follow up on stories by journalists and possible exaggeration of issue instead of looking at the cause, subordinates the actual issues and hinders development.

 

She identified commercialization of news, ownership pattern, management policy, total dependence on the press releases, apathy for reading and research by journalists covering development issues, lack of facility, conflicts and confrontations between the government and the media, pressure on journalists to beat deadlines and money journalism as some of the challenges affecting development reporting.

 

“The media functions place journalists in a good position to promote development. So, it is up to journalists to use their profession to deliver, now and again, to tell the reality of life of disadvantaged people and various inequalities, think about what arouses people other than catastrophe, politics, capital market,” she said. 

 

The media, it is believed owe it a duty to perform its functions creditably as partners in progress aimed at national development in the efforts to reduce the inequalities in Nigeria, enhance good governance and combat the prevalence of fraud, waste and corruption in the country.

 

“As partners in development, it is imperative for all of us to interactively examine the issue of development reporting especially in today’s globalised world, where communication transcends borders and the world sees and views our nation/profession from the way we report,” she remarked. 

 

Tunde Akanni, however, charged journalists to network especially in this age of computer. He also tasked media practitioners to be creative and engage in investigative reporting, which he said is the only way to correct ills in the society. 

 

Quasim Akinreti, a journalist and one of the speakers also urged media practitioners to be conversant with information technology, which would aid them greatly in their media coverage. He explained that with the invention of the new media, journalism is becoming easier to do especially when journalists avail themselves the opportunity.  

- February 15, 2010 by Funmi Falobi

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Source: independentngonline.com/DailyIndependent/Article.aspx (accessed on 16.02.10)