Abstract

This study investigates scholars’ perception of news commercialization on broadcast media content. The following objectives were used: To ascertain the perception of Journalist on News Commercialization, to examine the extent to which news commercialization influences objectivity, fairness, balance and truth in reporting, to explore the forms of news commercialization that is manifest among Journalists and to ascertain whether news commercialization encourages brown envelope. The researchers employed Taro Yame’s formula to sample size out 200 Journalists which formed the sample frame. Questionnaire was used as the instrument for data collection. The questionnaires were administered among 200 Journalists. All the questionnaires distributed were duly filled and retrieved by the researchers. Data gathered were presented using tables while frequency counts and simple percentages were used for analysis and interpretation. Findings revealed News commercialization affects objectivity and balance in reporting. The study further revealed that poor remuneration, personal greed and corruption are some of the reasons why news commercialization strives.

 

Chapter one

Introduction

The media be it broadcast or print have lost their credibility as they have slowly negated the social responsibility of journalism to an income generated journalism practice. There is an increasing commercialization of the media in Nigeria, the situation that has brought the integrity of the mass media enterprise to question. The social responsibility theory holds that while the press functions as a free enterprise, as guaranteed by the libertarian theory, it must be responsible to a society in which it operates. Based on this theory, the mass media are able to raise issues of public importance. Our mass media today do not seem to perform this social, duty as issues that set agenda for national development are compromised for “naira and kobo”. This abuse at practice has received the attention of mass communication scholars and other stakeholders who now advocate for a reinvention of our media contents to make the media realize their potentials as tools for national development (Asogwa & Asemah (2012)

Udomisor and Akutus (2013), Nnorom (1994) cited in Ekwo (1996:63) sees news commercialization as a phenomenon whereby the broadcast media report news or news analysis a commercial message by an unidentifiable sponsor, giving the audience the impression that news is fair, objective and socially responsible. Thus, it is only organizations and individuals that have money to spend that can gain access to the media during news time for a prescribed fee.

Onoja (2009) sees news commercialization as “a situation whereby stations begin to raise revenue by charging fees for news reports they should normally carry free”. This implies that, broadcast stations are meant to package and produce news free rather than commercializing it for profit making and gain.

Chioma (2013) sees news commercialization “as a tactful strategy through which the media relegates its responsibility of surveying the society”. Johnson (2001, p. 2), cited in Okigbo (1997) argues that balancing the cost of high quality journalism against corporate profit is one of the significant changes in journalism practice today. By implication broadcast media are meant to serve the public by dishing out news and entertainment rather than selling news and entertainment for profit making. As Kenneth and Odorume (2015) put it, “the broadcast media organizations should exist to serve public interest. However, recent journalism practice in Nigeria seems to be plagued with the malady of news commercialization. What this portends is that only the rich will get their ideas communicated to the public thus relegating the common to the background. Media organizations are undeniably expected to protect the public interest of their audiences

McManus (2009 Pp. 219 & 220), sees news commercialization as ‘any action intended to boost profit that interferes with a journalist’s or news organization’s best effort to maximize public understanding of those issues and events that shape the community they claim to serve’Also, Nwodu (2006) in National Open University of Nigeria (nd p.28) describes news commercialization as “the deliberate presentation of sponsored information to unsuspecting media audience who perceive these information as conventional public interest-oriented news

Against this backdrop news commercialization could be a packaged, produced and disseminated information by a sponsor who pays a media organization. It could also be message/information/idea/thoughts payed for by an unidentified sponsor whose idea is trumpeted via a media organization to a large heterogeneous audience in order to influence or modify their thinking. This act of commercializing news by journalist and media organization, greatly affects the objectivity and balance of reporting as Ekeanyanwu and Obianigwe (2012, p. 517) put it “monetary gifts could pressurize a journalist into doing what the giver wants, and this makes the journalist unable to be objective in his reporting of events and issues involving the people who give such gifts. This implies that a journalist who sells his conscience for money with the justification that it is news commercialization will end up deterring his reportage to suit the buyer of his conscience. “He who pays the piper dictates the tune” comes to play here. News commercialization is therefore likening to a wheel while brown envelop journalism is the spook that enhances the wheel to thrive on.

Based on this background the researcher wants to investigate scholars’ perception of news commercialization on broadcast media content

Many are unaware that news aired in radio and television are not merely because of its value. In a journalistic profession, there are criteria for news judgements which make events, ideas, personalities etc is become news worthy. But these days, such criteria are giving way to a situation whereby “important developments, especially in the country side are pushed aside by unimportant, even trivial news items concerning urban events and activities of personalities (Mac Bride report 1980).

Critics have identified distortion of news, imbalanced report and the growing tendency for the public not to believe the media news (lack of objectivity) as a major problems inherent in the use of the FRCN and NTA for news and other information. Different scholars have seen objectivity in different way, but every definition of objectivity revolves around “the state of quality of not being influenced by personal bias, Prejudice, feelings and opinions.” objective news reporting is that which lack inferences, judgement and slanting. New journalism is not altogether a professional practice in which the practitioner became simply independent. That is unthinking feelings and without emotions. Because of this, objectivity remains relative to the system that exists mostly like news commercialization of the FRCN and NTA.

Related to this is the censorship and perhaps the gates keeping problems which commercialization of news institutes for the editor. It affects editorial judgement, because, stories an editor would not have used will be used because the it had been paid for. Even the way in which the reporter would have been written it will no longer be written, due to the same reason. They will like to mite and present the stories in favour of the client which proves the adage that says “he who pays the piper dictates the tune.

The social responsibilities role of the media mostly the broadcast media have reduced drastically, meaning that it is the highest bidder that has access to media. This practice termed “commercialization of news” as distinct from advertising in the media, is the most recent but dangerous developments in the Nigerian media industry dating from 1988 (See Uchenna Ek). Mass media and marketing communication 1996 page 61).

The objectives of the study are;

1. To ascertain the perception of Journalist on News Commercialization
2. To examine the extent to which news commercialization influences objectivity, fairness, balance and truth in reporting
3. To explore the forms of news commercialization that is manifest among Journalists
4. To ascertain whether news commercialization encourages brown envelope
5. What is the perception of Journalist on News Commercialization?
6. To what extent have news commercialization influences objectivity, fairness, balance and truth in reporting?
7. What are the forms of news commercialization that is manifest among Journalists?
8. Does news commercialization encourage brown envelope?
   • Significance of the study

The social responsibilities role of the media mostly the broadcast media have reduced drastically, meaning that it is the highest bidder that has access to media. This practice termed “commercialization of news” as distinct from advertising in the media, is the most recent but dangerous developments in the Nigerian media industry dating from 1988 (See Uchenna Ek). Mass media and marketing communication 1996 page 61).

The study is vital because it will investigate on which the radio and television news credibility and objectivity stand. It will equally enable the Sudanese in drowsing whether to listen to radio/ television news. More so, it may enable the government to reschedule its policy of commercialization. The study will be of great importance to the media, for them to be working in accordance with the professional code of conduct especially in edify a paid up story.

The scope of the study covers scholars’ perception of news commercialization on broadcast media content. this cannot be effectively talked without considering the demographic factor of NTA and FRCN.

Commercialization: It is a kind of dourness of fund from sales. Where money in generated from something in form of sales. A situation whereby the broadcast media generate income from the news by selling air time for news instead of broadcasting the news based on accepted news values.

Credibility: Credibility is which can be believed operational definition. Audience acceptance to believe the news contents of the broadcast media.

Objectivity: Not being influenced by personal feelings, ideas, or bias. A state of being influenced by personal feelings or bias

Scholar: a person who has done advanced study in a special field.

Perception: Perception is the organization, identification, and interpretation of sensory information in order to represent and understand the presented information, or the environment

Broadcast media: Broadcast media describes the traditional forms of media that include television and radio. Technically, the term ‘broadcast media’ can include the internet as well and even such things as Bluetooth marketing and other forms of location-based transmissions.

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