IMPACT OF MEDIA LAW AND ETHICS ON JOURNALISM PRACTICE

📁 Format: MS WORD | 🗂️ Chapters: 1-5 | 📄 Pages: 65

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1       BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY

The mass media are fundamental in ensuring purposeful and peaceful co-existence in the society. They are indispensable to the success of every human endeavour. Through their agenda-setting role, the mass media set the hierarchy of current issues, determine the extent of transmission and establish the terms of reference and limits of debate, which ultimately influence people’s actions, reactions, decisions and judgements on the issues so raised. However, the current trend in mass media practice has raised a controversy as to who really set the agenda – the media or the state. It is through the mass media that views in the society are made known, government policies and activities are publicized and opposing views are heard. Again, the mass media serve as the conduit for the various forms of interaction among the different facets of the society. The strings of the interaction are normally controlled by many variables, such as the legal, ethical, political, socio-cultural, technological and economic factors.

DeFleur (2015) points out that the interaction is necessary so that certain unacceptable and disruptive behaviours are not exhibited in the society. Ewelukwa (2016) asserts that mass media contents should be packaged in a way that helps the media to perform their roles effectively as the media are a major force that stimulates national, international, socio-economic and global understanding. By reason of their strategic position in the society, the operations of the mass media are affected by many developments in the law, so is the practice of journalism. The central themes of some of these developments include the laws relating to the establishment, ownership, operation and control of the mass media. These basically reflect the scenario in Nigeria as well as the international picture. Despite the myriad of institutional and organisational pressures, journalists have to be knowledgeable in the laws which guide their practice and be professionally conscious so as to safeguard press freedom.

1.2       STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Media laws have been the greatest albatross to journalistic practice in Nigeria. From the colonial times to the modern journalistic era, the laws have often act as restriction on the much avowed talk about press freedom. Thus, some of the laws restrict the journalist right to secure information that may be of public interest. Even when the journalist goes the extra-mile to seek vital information about government activities which are tagged official secrets but against the interest of the state, he could be guilty of treason. Similarly, a fair criticism of the government policies and programmes could be calculated to be seditions, depending on the nature of the man in the saddle of leadership. In recent times, comment made about the president faring health has brought defamation litigation against the management of the leadership newspaper. As at the time of carrying out this research work, these are the problems that hindering the performance of journalism practice in Nigeria.

Journalists were restricted by law to carry out their work effectively.

Media law creates unfavourable situation for the press

Media laws affect objectivity of the work of the journalist.

OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The main objective of the study is to assess the impact of media law and ethics on journalism practice (A case study of NUJ ogun State branch). Other specifics objectives are to:

1. To examine whether Journalists are restricted by law to carry out their work effectively
2. To determine if media law create favorable condition for the press
3. To ascertain how Media laws affect objectivity of the work of the journalist.
4. To know the extent which Nigerian journalist adhere to the applicable media law and ethics in their practices

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

1. To what extent does Journalists are restricted by law to carry out their work effectively?

• How does media law create favorable condition for the press
• To what extent do Media laws affect objectivity of the work of the journalist?
• To what extent do Nigerian journalists adhere to the applicable mass media laws and ethics in their practice?

1.5       RESEARCH HYPOTHESES

1    H0: Journalists are not restricted by law to carry out their work effectively.

H1: Journalists are restricted by law to carry out their work effectively.

2    H0: media law does not create favorable condition for the press.

H1: media law create favorable condition for the press.

3    H0:  media law does not significantly affect objectivity of journalist.

H1: Media laws significantly affect objectivity of journalist.

1.6       SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The significance of this study cannot be over-emphasized and can be viewed from the following perspectives. This study will contribute in the already existing literature in area of press freedom in Nigeria. It will further provide information, data that will help to review those laws that are detrimental to journalist profession. It will also create awareness on the implication of the laws that are harmful to the Nigerian mass media. The findings of the study will highlight to Nigerians the effect and causes of media laws in Nigeria and how it affect performance of the media in Nigeria. This study will serve as requirement in partial fulfillment for the award of higher national diploma (hnd).

1.7       SCOPE OF THE STUDY

This research work focuses on the Nigerian Union Journalist in Nigeria, but with particular reference to NUJ members within Abeokuta, the scope of media law and ethics on journalism practice will be fully discussed.

Limitation of the study

A problem in gathering facts and figures for a project of this nature is inevitable. The researcher encountered some problems in administering the questionnaire. It look a lot of time and patient to get the appropriate people to fill and return the questionnaires, and getting access to the necessary documents was even more difficult. Finally, time constraint is another limitation in the conduction of this research work. Although, despite the researcher work-load in preparing for the final examination during this research work, serious efforts were made to keep appointments with respondents and collection of other data that are objective factual and adequate for this research work.

1.9       DEFINITION OF OPERATIONAL TERMS

Ethics: The lay down principles of the journalist profession. The rules that guide the work of the journalist.

Information: is the dissemination of news so that people can be acquainted with the day to day happening.

Laws: as used in this paper are the rules or the inhibitions that prevent free access to, and publication of information. That is, all legal restraint to gathering and dissemination of information.

Media: are the various channels through which information is dispersed to a mass audience. In this case, the print channels.

Obnoxious: An offensive law that is antagonistic to the work of the journalist. It has a negative impact on the journalist activities.

NUJ: Nigerian Union of Journalists

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