Amolo emmanuel N
Newspaper Environment in Nigeria: Impact and Challenges
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| 2.1.4 Newspaper Environment in Nigeria: Impact and Challenges
Without gainsaying, globalization has impacted tremendously on the media. One important implication of this development is the revolution in information dissemination (and gathering). The print media which is the focus of this study is not left out of this information revolution. (Adesoji, 2006: 38). The Nigerian Press which started with the effort of Rev. Henry Townsend’s Iwe Iroyin in 1859 had remained a vibrant institution especially all through to the 1920s. Beginning with the emergence of the West African Pilot in 1937, the press has played a pivotal role in promoting political awareness, sensitizing the populace and molding and directing public opinion (Omu, 1978). Expectedly it was a strong force in the struggle for the attainment of political independence both from the British colonial masters to the dictatorial powers of the military. Not even the long period of military rule and its attendant risks could deter the press from playing its ascribed roles. The Nigerian Press at many times in its history became more vociferous and even took to guerrilla journalism, a practice of publishing and circulating newspapers and magazines underground, in order to prosecute a cause that it believed in. Meanwhile the last two decades or so witnessed tremendous advancement in the spread of the knowledge of information and communication technology. Virtually every segment of society, including the press, has been impacted by these developments. Not only has it quickened information dissemination, it has also revolutionized the conduct, method and quality of media practices generally. (Adesoji, 2006: 39). Distinctively, all over the world today, were newspapers are produced for mass communication and journalism, studies have suggested there is a glaring dearth in production due to the decline in readership. People no longer read newspaper hardcopies as much, especially with the advent of advanced audio-visual technologies like cell phones and the internet (Uwosomah, 2010). But this tendency does not seem to affect the vibrancy of the Nigerian newspaper industry. The newspaper business still booms even with low readership and subscription. Even with some newspapers going online, newspapers are still produced in hardcopies in large quantities and distributed widely in the country. According to Park (1993:1), Nigeria has the biggest and most virile press community in Africa. This is so because it is the only chief means of opposition to government, with well over 200 national dailies and local newspapers and publications (Uwosomah, 2010). Likewise, the business of newspapers is vibrant in the country because the industry is democratized and left to anyone who has the ability to float a publishing company. Although the Nigerian Press was intended to be a watchdog for the country (a similar role in free societies), it has difficulty carrying out this constitutional obligation as provided in section 22 (1999 Constitution). Aside the freedom of Information bill which “should” guarantee a free press, the large number of different voices, especially of the various competing interest groups, created something of a marketplace of contentious ideas which sometimes culminated to a war of words between newspaper publishers in the tabloids. Against this backdrop, we do not only see news stories in Nigerian media, we see often the battles of ideals, ideas, and clashes of interests, fought by those who sponsor the media (Soyinka, 1996). However, just because this newspaper media is available in the country, it does not necessarily mean a large number of people are reached with its content (Oseni, 1995). The glaring implication of this is that the Nigerian newspapers are produced more for the interest of the sponsors and benefactors rather than for readers. The important thing is that the desires of readers and publishers do not remain static. With the turn of the new century, the concept of specialized news report publishing had emerged, creating newer publications that focus at specific areas of interest to reach particular audiences. Two of the most explored areas are Sports and Fashion. These specialized prints have come to be widely embraced by readers and often times come very cheap. An example is the 16-page CompleteSports newspaper which is published daily and sells as at today for as low as N50 on its cover price. Arguably, it is currently the highest circulating specialized newspaper in Nigeria. This shows that the concept can be borrowed when creating a specialized newspaper for children. Download 261.2 Kb. Share with your friends:
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