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EFFECTS OF NEWS COMMERCIALIZATION ON THE PUBLIC

 CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1            BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Prior to early 1970s Nigeria was one of the poorest countries in the world depending mostly on agriculture exports.

          But due to the oil Broom (1975 – 74) Nigeria became a major oil producer and enjoyed a boost in the economy when the oil market sneezed, the Nigeria economy caught pneumonia.

          The volume of oil output fell 2.3 million barrels per day in 1970 / 80 to 1.1117 in 1986.

          Therefore total oil earnings fell from about 126million in 1980 to 87.37 billion in 1985.

          Since the structure of the economy was neither sufficiently diversified nor flexible enough to absorb the shock, government had to embark on measures to certain the situation solution (1995).

          One of them was the structural adjustment programme SAP introduced by Ibrahim Babanginda military administration in 1986.

          This led to a drop in government subvention, many public and private organization witness harsh economic climate leading media houses such as

vSale of licenses

vDonations from private

vIndividuals and advertisements were insufficient to run the media

vThe Hamza Zay Yad’s technical committee on privatization and commercialization (TCPC) was set up to find out ways to sustain the media.

The outcome of the committee was recommendation of vaiour ways make money to pay salaries procure and service the dilapidated equipment amount other things.

          One of the means was the commercialization of news and deregulaton of the broadcast media.

This led to mass staff retrenchment in 1983

vCommercial advertisements

vSpot announcement programme sponsorship

vPromotion

vPopular let them pay (LTD) charges for socially related event and news

On the effluent to generate and increase revenues for FRCN. With this the federal radio corporation of Nigeria entered into Nigeria world of business, ventures, and enterprise for the second time.

          News is one of the most potent ways for public information and FRCN has an obligation to provide news with accuracy.

          News is one of the most potent ways for public information and FRCN has an obligation to provide news with

vAccuracy

vImpartiality

vObjectivity

Thus it is the duty of the editor to reflect the various sides of a story in order to portray balance and objectivity in keeping with the motto which is to “uplift. The people and unit the nation”.

          An adage has it that the who pays piper dilates the tune. How can the editor perform his duty objectively without the influence of the person who paid for news!

          Infact in journalism, there are traditional criteria for judging certain

vEvent

vIdeas

vPlaces

vPersonalities as news worthy.

          Some of the news values include

vProximity

vTimelessness

vProminence

vConsequence

vHuman interest

          Apart form these news values, the professional mass communicator or journalist has codes of professional ethic

The principles guiding journalist

vObjectivity

vAccuracy

vTruthfulness

vImpartiality

vResponsibility

          Therefore a good journalist is expected to cross check all information and where in doubt forego the publication of the story.

          But who can a journalist perform this task judiciously when the money to maintain codes of professional ethics.

          There are also legal constraints guiding the operation of the mass media

The media practitioner has t contend to with all these issue of the same time attract money for the organization. A look into the reason for establishing the FRCN shows that profit motive is not the major reasons for establishing the media.

          Infact, one the major reasons for flooding FRCN is to serve the public and provide them access to the mass media.

          How can the media guarantee good service to the public is field to money?

          Hen news values but on the basis of how much one can pay. Surely, implication of commercializing news in FRCN has far – reacting consequence, its affect on the station credibility and demoralization is catastrophic.

          The public right to know of event of public importance and interest through not deemed but where paid stories are given more attention thereby reducing the number of stories of public interest in the bulletin is worrisome.

          Commercialization of news in FRCN tends to compromise the integrity of the editors as it molates the code conduct of journalist, tends to compromise the integrity of the editors as a molates the code

          Infact the ethical implication of news commercialization in the station are enormous.

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