Complete Material Cost #3,000
Order for Complete Material now
ABSTRACT
This work examines the impact of Print Media (Newspaper) exercise in shaping the Nigeria political structure. The Print Media (Newspaper) has been a tool in tacking so many problems in Nigeria which include the political matters of the country. Nigeria is a developing nation and thus the need to keep its political structure shaped becomes necessary, that is why the need for the research topic “The Impact of the Print Media (Newspaper) in shaping Nigeria Political Structure” with special reference to Owua-west Local Government Area metropolitan political structure because of its centre in Nigeria as it a link between all the regions of Nigeria. The researcher made use of the most efficient and effective way it souring information from public offices holders, traditional ruler, citizens of the area of study. Questionnaire as one of the instruments was distributed to respondents randomly Recommendations and conclusion were made based on the findings.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
The Nigerian press has been a vital source of government policy, News for opinion leaders and decisions makers with a political structure as well as for the whole public. Those in decision making position who are not able to come in contact with the international community’s for foreign policy rely on the press for such information or issues.
Newspaper is an unbounded publication usually issued on a daily, weekly, monthly, quart yearly, yearly basis, which has the main function of reporting. They also provide commentary on politics, economics, and arts and culture. In nearly all cases and in varying degrees, newspapers depend on commercial advertising for their income. Print journalism started in Nigeria in 1846 with the installation of a printing press at Calabar by the Presbyterian mission. The primary purpose of installing the printing press was to increase the level of literacy among local people so that they would be able to acquire more knowledge through reading of short stories and essays on various subjects, particularly religious matters. Although the Calabar experiment did not last long, it set the ball of Newspaper work rolling in Nigeria. All other missionaries, who later went into newspaper was published in Yoruba fortnightly but later became bilingual in 1860 when an English language edition added. The Iweirohin thrived well and was a force to be reckoned, with by the time it folded in 1967 as a result of a cultural and political crisis between the European settlers and the indigenes of Egbaland. The crisis led to the expulsion of all Europeans in Egbaland including the missionaries, printing press in Abekuta. The paper’s news contents, however, broadened after some time to include subjects other than church matters such as stories about producer prices etc.
Before its demise, the IweIrohin had a circulation of about 3000 and it has started to publish advertisements inserted by local firms and government agencies. It also indulges in criticizing the slave trade and other vice of the society. News of political development in Yoruba land as well as of the positive expeditions and inter-tribal wars going on in the area was carried prominently by the newspaper. The newspaper helped immensely to increase the level of education and the social awareness of the generality of the people they were serving. Omu, in press and politics in Nigeria (1978.8), “ The missionary newspaper may not have exerted a very wide influence on west Africa society but there can be no doubt they introduced the first generation of educated Africans to what had become an intrinsic part of enlightened society in Europe and other lands. Their example gave inspiration to African people who inherited the idea of the newspaper and came to employ it as the chief weapon by which they were exercise their power of participation in the government of their land” The alien-dominated press simply refers to the newspapers founded by non-Nigerians they were founded by aliens from neighboring countries. Such as Anglo-African which was founded by Robert Campbell on June, 6, 1983. It was a weekly paper. The 63/4” X 81/2” journal published stories called from a variety of sources such as books novels, magazines and overseas newspapers.
The newspaper have the primary aim of exploiting the growing interest in western education and enlightenment in Lagos in the 1860’s by providing cheap and accessible materials which would Educated, Inform, and Entertain its readers. Richard Beale Blazie established the Lagos and gold Coast colony Advertiser on November 10, 1880, He was a wealthy business man of sierra Leonean origin and history shows that his mother is a Yoruba woman.
The paper shows and was published fortnightly and the name was a reflection of the Joint administrative of the gold coast and Lagos operated by British. The paper achieved one major feat within its life time/span of three years, that is, it set the ball of militant Journalism and nationalism rolling in Nigeria. It was a thorn in the flesh of the colonial administration unfortunately; the paper did not live long. It did not enjoy government patronage by way of advertisement. Other alien founded newspaper including the IweIroy in Eko, founded by Andrew Thomas on November 3, 1888, Weekly Times by John Payne Jackson, on May 3, 1890. Lagos Weekly Record by J.P Jackson. The standard by George Alfred Williams on September 1st 1894, and Lagos reporter by Victor Manson on September 12, 1898.
Shortly before the amalgamation of the Northern and Southern protectorates in 1914, proprietors of newspapers started to use the word Nigerian in name of their papers. Two alien founded newspaper which include the word Nigerian in their name plates were the Nigerian chronicle established on November 20, 1908 by two brothers Christopher Josephus Johnson and Emmanuel T. Johnson-and Nigeria times which was founded by James Bright Davis on April 5, 1910. One of the early newspapers founded by a Nigerian pioneer which was established by Kitoyi Ajasa in Lagos 1914. There was pro-government and many people hated it for that, it however survived until 1936 before it ceased exiting. Aside from these papers mentioned. Furthermore, other newspaper that was founded was Dr. Azikiwe’s West African pilot in 1937, and so many others.
Although this period, newspaper had characteristics among which are poor circulation due to bad road network and illiteracy, it has political mood. From these facts, one can deduce the early newspaper in Nigeria lacked capital, machinery, trained and skilled personnel. The Nigeria press has a drastic change and orientation when, after independence, Government in the country drove into newspaper industry. The period between 1960 and 1966 saw so many governmental newspapers springing up among them was morning post established by Tafawa Balewa government in 1961, to provide adequate and publicity for its activities. It toppled in a military coup in 1966. And so many other ones that arise by the state, some jointly owned, privately owned, and so on. The performance of press in the post-independence era lives more to be desired on the other hand, there were many instance of antagonism from the government. And also their abundant evidence to prove that some Journalist did throw away the ethics of their profession to the wind and become ardent sycophants for their political master-publishers. Consequently the history of press is not learner on point newspaper alone; we must touch broadcast media which comprises of Television, Radio, Telephone internet, etc. concisely put, broadcasting is a society wide trip of message dissemination, which involves the transmission of idea, words, sound, pictures and value form of signals through the airwaves to the target audience. It is also known as electronic media. The image of Nigeria politics reinforced by contemporary bourgeois definition of politics which views it as the authoritative allocation of values, although “values” as used is not limited to resources but refers widely and generally to choices or decision, in practices, it has been interpreted to mean resources. In 1978, Babaginda inaugurated a 17 member political bureau to coordinate a national dialogue on how to move from military to a civilian form of government, the Bureau composed of prominent civil and academic leaders, who was given a year to solicit proposal from the public and offer its own recommendations. Ibrahim Badamusi Babaginda said the military government would be handling over power to a democratically elected civilian government by October 1990. The debate over the paper structure and ideology for a democratic system dominated the news media for much of the year, and that was how the Nigerian politics or political system was born.
Therefore no Nigerian political system or government can survive or achieve its political objectives without the press in one way or the other, including publicity and political activities or advertising, press serves as link between government and the masses and also from the masses to the government as the mouth]piece o0f the masses. In today’s highly interconnect global village, politics is no more a village or community based, state, national or regional affair; because of the high level of communication process it is now a global affair in many respects. The government had no control on the ownership of press until 1930’s which saw the emergence of political awareness in political matters, private ownership of the press began to emerge with Zik’s press limited. Other political parties that emerge also use one newspaper or the other as a political tool by which they create awareness or advertise their political parties or ambition. However as time goes, the government started to interfere in the activities of the press through licensing, pre- and post- censorship because of their watchdog role in the society. This affected the quality of coverage the press carries on political matters, no Journalist would like to risk his life and Job in the name of airing or publishing factual news about the operating government, therefore Journalist began to dance to the tone of the government, because “He, who plays the piper, dictates the tone.”
The oppression from the government notwithstanding, the print media helps in creating political awareness and orientation in rural and urban areas educates the citizens on the importance of national political participation and interprets it to those who are ignorant of political activities in the society.
1.2 STATEMENT OF THE RESEARCH PROBLEM
Information available indicates that Nigerian print media was born into freedom, in 1859; Reverend Townsend established “IweIrohin” newspaper with the objective of getting people to read and cultivate the habit of reading and seeking for information through the newspaper was established in Nigeria and paved way for others.
The statement of the problem thus includes: The awareness created by the print media (Newspaper) in political matters; the impact of print media in political mobilization. The quality of coverage the print media carries out on political matters. The political awareness created by the print media to rural dwellers.
1.3 PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
The main objective of this study is to determine the Impact of Print Media (Newspaper) in shaping the Nigeria Political Structure. The specific objectives include:
- To ascertain the impact of print media in creating mass awareness among people towards political matters in Owua-west Local Government Area of Edo State.
- To find out the impact of the media exercise in political mobilization.
- To find out the quality of coverage the medium carries out on political matters.
- To find out the extent the print media highlight issues of political importance of rural dwellers.
1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
The research questions involved in this study are;
- To what extent does newspaper create awareness among people towards political matters in Owua-west Local Government Area of Edo State?
- What is the impact of the media exercise in political mobilization?
- How good is the quality of coverage the newspaper carries out on political issues in Owua-west Local Government Area of Edo State?
- To what extent does the newspaper highlight issues of political importance to rural dweller?
1.5 RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS
Ho: This is no significant relationship between Print Media (Newspaper) in shaping the Nigeria Political Structure.
Ha: This is a significant relationship between Print Media (Newspaper) in shaping the Nigeria Political Structure.
1.6 SCOPE OF STUDY/DELIMITATION
This study is limited to the impact of the print media (newspaper) in shaping Nigeria political structure using Owua-west Local Government Area of Edo State as a case study. This was chosen because it’s a link between the southern region of the country and the researcher wish to know its political stand, and how the print media (newspaper) of the region handles or tackles political matters.
The limitations of this study lie under the listed constraints:
- There were insufficient journals and textbooks on this topic which led to information that subsequently affected the literature review. However, the researcher made use of the available ones.
- There was no existence of already made research work on this topic hence the researcher encountered difficulties in the course of carrying out this research work.
- Time and duration of this project work was too short and this adversely affected the research work.
- Lack of finance was also one of the limitations faced by the researcher during the time of conducting this research work.
- Lastly, another major constraint was inadequate co-operation by the respondents which reduced the amount of data allowed.
1.7 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
This study will be a good reverence work to political administrators in carrying out their political activities. It will help them to know the roles print media (newspaper) can play for them in creating awareness in their political party ideologies and also educates them on the power the press has over them during the period of election.
It will also help policy makers and opinion leaders as it shows them that the (newspapers) in their link with the international community for foreign policy and news which will help them in their policy making. Students of mass communication and political science will also find this work useful as it touches their line of education. It will help them know that print media (Newspaper) is an inevitable tool in political activities and coverage of political activities in Nigeria, It will help them see how the government actors used the press as a great weapon in fighting for the independence. It will help mass communicator to know that their field of study requires objectivity and fair play not minding the circumstance surrounding the individual at any particular moment. It will also help the political scientist on how to build up good rappour with the press and masses especially during the electoral process or period.
Furthermore, this study will be useful guide for federal and state government in planning future programmes which relates to the print media and press as a whole. It will educates them on the right, the print media (newspaper) has in political matter so that when the print media reports some of the governmental activities which is part of the study, they will not fight and oppress the newspaper house by those drastic measures they inflict on the media and their person.
Again, it will enlighten the government on how best to use the newspaper to disseminate their political activities on the people and also look forward on the press for the reaction and feedback of the people they are governing.
Finally, this work will also be of good significance to media house that are lagging behind in reporting political mater to society. It will help them to know that it is their sole responsibility to cover and report any events in the political activities of government in power in order to keep the public aware.