GROUP 2:

MEDIA ETHICS IN
DEVELOPMENT OF
JOURNALISM IN
NIGERIA
MAC 430
Mass Media Ethics
Introduction
• The Mass media has the ability to influence the actions of people, change
the course of events as well as tear them down.
• What is that common saying about “the pen”?
• To buttress, there is another saying that agrees with the other by stating….
• “one good journalist on the ground is worth a battalion of troops”.
• In as much as journalists are deemed important, there is the need for them
to be guided by a code of ethics and in order to avoid abuse of freedom
and for sound judgment in the gathering, analyzing and dissemination of
information.
• In accordance with the Nigerian Press Organization
Code of Honor, as observed by Agbese (2010); a
journalist’s duties and conducts, is to be adhered to at
the journalist’s discretion, and has no language of
enforcement.
• This principle can fall under the Deontological Ethics
theory which is defined by Immanuel Kant. He held that
a good will is one that wills to act in accordance with the
moral law and out of respect for that law rather than out
of inclinations
MASS MEDIA DURING THE
COLONIAL AND MILITARY ERA
• The mass media were seen as a ray of hope during the helpless
and hopeless time during the colonial and military rule against
their fight for liberation.
• Having fought to regain democratic governance, the mass
media however needs to expand scope of practice since the
media and the public no longer have a common enemy, the
military, but left with the common cause of ensuring
responsible governance and development.

HOW?.......
MASS MEDIA DURING THE
COLONIAL AND MILITARY ERA
• The press played critical roles in removing
the military by reporting views of the
government’s opposers and showing
dissatisfaction. (Olayiwola, 1991, p.37).
• SO WHAT WENT WRONG?
MASS MEDIA DURING THE
COLONIAL AND MILITARY ERA
• According to Olayiwola (1991), right from the colonial era through
independence period, to military interval, the Nigerian press has been overly
biased.
• Research shows that the Nigerian news media of the 21st century despite
history of vibrancy and experience, are yet to overcome fundamental
hindrances. An instance is elaborated where private media organizations are
either owned by politicians or aligned with the posturing of political parties,
and thrive on biased reportage.
• Another instance was shown where the press lacked professionalism and
sowed no form of ethical conduct where leading political party newspapers
were not only involved in vicious combat, the press at then showed remarkable
irresponsible one-sidedness and recklessness.
THE AUTHOR’S STANCE
• He believes that the Nigerian press holds embellishments of journalism that gives
the profession a bad name.
• Some of these embellishments includes:
• Information flow and prominence are controlled by people in influential
positions.
• Beat associations and News commercialization facilitate the masking of real
voices.
• Electronic media organization air paid news as regular news.
• The author recommends the need for ethics education that would enable journalists
to develop an attitude of mind that would manifest in good behavior.
The environment of
journalism and media
ethics in Nigeria.
• The principle “he who pays the piper dictates the tune” is
common in Nigerian journalism, as the media outlets only
propagate the views of its political or corporate patrons.
• In the case of a political figure owning or sponsoring a media
House, such media outfit is used as a voice for the politician. In
which case audience would only hear good things about such a
politician, ignoring other views and opinions.
• To change this mind-set, a paradigmatic shift from information provision
as benevolence to a philosophy of stewardship is necessary. If the media
would also take on the stewardship outlook and be properly regulated, it
would have a positive impact on the nation.
• The media needs to:
• create a civic forum encouraging pluralistic debate about public affairs; 
• act as a watch dog against the abuse of power; and 
• serve as a mobilizing agent, encouraging public learning and participation
in the political process.
ETHICAL RESPONSIBILITY OF MEDIA
OWNERS AND ORGANISATIONS
• The extent to which journalists can be in charge of what they publish has
been declining, particularly due to media ownership.
• "A fundamental principle of ethics is that those with the greatest power
bear the greatest moral accountability, a journalist's ethical codes have it
backward".
• Although news stories do not bear their names, media owners are
obviously major sources and causes of ethical violations, and therefore can
reverse the trend.
• In Nigeria, politics is critical in journalism practice and media owners
determine the board on which political news stories are determined, and
there is evidence that some organizations are set up for political reasons as
in the case of Compass newspaper owned by Gbenga Daniel.
To avoid ethical violations the following must
be done:
• Mass media owners must pay healthy salaries to their employees
so that they can be less susceptible to bribes.
• Only individuals/organizations with sound financial footing need
to establish media organizations
• Existing media can consider merging, or adoption by companies
that can finance journalism.
• Regulatory bodies and media associations should work out
minimum standards for establishing and operating a media
organization, including regular payment of salaries and healthy
salaries will attract to the profession individuals with sound
qualifications.
CONCLUSION
• What the article is communicating is that the Nigerian press despite every
attempt to restrict freedom should have been accompanied by efforts to
contributing to the development of the Nation.
• As the ‘Watchdog of the Society’ ‘the Conscience of the Nation’, the need for
the Press to discharge its duties with utmost care, responsibility and
responsiveness is crucial.
• For the press to perform its fundamental roles of informing, educating and
entertaining people efficiently and effectively, the practitioners should subject
themselves to the dictates of self-drawn, self-imposed regulations as contained
in the Code of Ethics of Nigerian Press.