The Mass Media and the Challenges of Sustainable Democratic Values in Nigeria: Possibilities and Limitations

Abstract

On 29 May 1999 Nigeria went from military autocracy and absolutism to civil rule. Since then Nigerians have focused on the challenges of nurturing and consolidating the nascent democracy. However, as crucial as the mass media is in all regions and climes vis-a-vis democratic processes, not much attention has been paid to the inhibiting factors in the mass media’s bid to sustain Nigeria’s democracy. The thrust of this article, therefore, is the selectivity of the media in its agenda-setting role. The article infers that regional, geo-political and ethnicist imperatives impact negatively on Nigeria’s mass media. The strongest recommendation of this article is that the mass media needs a mindset and worldview that is much more robust and comprehensive than it currently is for it to be a catalyst in sustaining democratic values in a plural and divided society.

When the past seeps into the present: The role of press agencies in circulating new historical narratives and restructuring collective memory during and after the Holocaust transitional justice

“…Since the national Swiss press agency coverage focused mainly (if not exclusively) on figuring out who the 'true' victim was, reacting to the AP narrative which was systematically critical of Switzerland, little or no resources were deployed to initiate any debate about the actual content of the transitional justice process, thereby maintaining the discussion at a superficial level. This challenges recent research conclusions on the positive role of media during transitional periods (Kaiser, 2014;Krabill, 2007;Nesbitt, 2007;Ojo, 2003).…”

Freebies and Brown Envelopes in Ethiopian Journalism

“…The phenomenon of brown envelopes has been identifi ed in, for instance, Sierra Leone (Khan, 1998), Ghana (Diedong, 2006), Burkina Faso (Frère, 2001), Cameroon (Nyamnjoh, 2001;Ndangam, 2006), the Democratic Republic of Congo (AMDI, 2006), Uganda (Walulya, 2008;Mwesige, 2004), Zambia (Kasoma, 2007), and, perhaps more than anywhere else, Nigeria (Sunday, 2007;Adio, 2001;Nworah, 2006;Ojo, 2003). A scrutiny of a number of African national codes of ethics for journalists shows that codes from at least the following countries warn specifi cally of the problem of bribery: Benin, Botswana, Cameroon, Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Somaliland, South Africa, Uganda, and Zambia.…”

What’s the Bandwidth for Democracy? Deconstructing Internet Penetration and Citizen Attitudes About Governance

“…Scholars have theorized that greater Internet penetration, when coupled with individual Internet use, helps socialize citizens with democratic norms and creates a "demand for democracy" that facilitates democratic transitions from the bottom up (Nisbet, Stoycheff, & Pearce, 2012;Norris, 2011). When a majority of citizens demand institutionalized democracy-honest elections and protection of political and civil liberties-they are likely to exert pressure on political leaders to adopt greater democratic reforms (Bratton, Mattes, & Gyimah-Boadi, 2005;Mattes & Bratton, 2007;Ojo, 2003).…”