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Periodical article Periodical article Leiden University catalogue Leiden University catalogue WorldCat catalogue WorldCat
Title:Regional parallelism and the reporting of corruption in the Nigerian press
Author:Yusha'u, Muhammad JameelISNI
Year:2010
Periodical:Journal of African Media Studies (ISSN 1751-7974)
Volume:2
Issue:3
Pages:353-369
Language:English
Geographic term:Nigeria
Subjects:press
journalism
corruption
regionalism
Abstract:This article examines the reporting of corruption in the Nigerian press. The purpose is to explain the factors that influence the practice of journalism in Nigeria using the reporting of corruption as a yardstick. The article stems from in-depth interviews with Nigerian journalists in 2007 in which they were asked about the way they report corruption, and whether the regional divide in the country is apparent in reporting stories about corruption. Following the work of D.C. Hallin and P. Mancini (2004), the article suggests that what exists in Nigeria is regional parallelism, which implies a modification of Hallin and Mancini's framework of political parallelism. The findings suggest that regionalism is a key factor in Nigerian journalism. However, it is much more complex than the simple assumption of north-south dichotomy; rather, there are intra-regional factors in the nature of ownership in the Nigerian press. The following features are found to be associated with regional parallelism: it is determined by location, it is supported by the elite, it is promoted by political and business interests, it is made obvious by the economic imbalance in media ownership, it is surrounded by the compexities that characterize society, and it is not absolute. The article recommends that courses on corruption and the media should be introduced in Nigerian and other African universities teaching journalism and mass communications, so that future journalists will understand the challenges ahead. It also recommends that an independent commission for the protection of journalists in Africa should be established. Bibliogr., notes, sum. [Journal abstract, edited]
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