This part of the research work will outline the general principles guiding the selected contents and the guiding principle that uncover how reporting operations are carried out and how events are perceived, understood, grasped and or interpreted by Nigerian Newspapers. It includes also the general Nigeria newspaper perception of socio political issues and of the events they report, the guiding models of their stories and news selection, their overall view and belief with which they operate.
The beginning of Nigeria newspaper was ‘colonial missionary catechism’ missionary journalism which changed to active political reporting with the wave of nationalism and establishing the press and newspaper by nationalists. Subsequent changes of Nigeria’s government affected the change of Nigeria’s press reporting to watchdog roles of checking government’s excesses, a role still played in today’s democratic setup. Nwachukwu (2011) in her academic paper traces the history of Nigeria newspaper political reporting, noting the ‘electioneering role played by newspaper of the 1920s’ and reawakened political partisanship’ of 1979 to the 1990s’ (p. 23). Isiaka (2005) states that newspapers are known to practice political partisanship, that some newspapers align with political parties in their daily coverage of events not publishing what could put in jeopardy in the favoured party’s interest. He mentioned this factor as particularly true among state owned newspapers (p. 57, 58). This is also given as. Ironically, the major factor of America’s free press (p. 58). Newspaper journalism today following western models is guided by protection of interest, partisan and commercials; a shift which threatens their credibility and objectivity.
(Ati, 2012).
Kalam (2006) examining national development speaks of two components of politics; political politics and development politics; stressing that a nation’s media reporting in the area of national important need of development politics is essential instead of political politics which the media, he noted gives importance to. .
Adebiyi’s (2009) explores the international Press Centre on Nigeria’s press coverage of three issues: development, democratic institutions and governance and examines the factor responsible for the prominence given to governance issues seen in the front page and space allocation attention it got and which was found to be the most reported with 52% reporting devoted to it (para. 1). He notes the report demonstrates the lopsided nature of media reports and their dependence on government as a source of information as much more stories were sourced from government than from the man on the street that provided information on 6.35% of the total stories sampled. Governance became the main focus of news and analysis, dominating editorial content of the press (Adebiyi, 2009, para. 3). Isiaka (2005) states however that even though news championed in editorial columns are neutral, this is balanced by the selectiveness of the reader (p. 59).
Adebiyi (2009) affirms that the press is obliged by session 22 of the 1999 constitution to monitor governance and points this obligation out as a factor of media’s attention to governance; other factors outlined are the press historical root in control and influence from every form of government (colonial, military) and the reliance of virtually every section of the society on the government for sustenance (the biggest source of patronage and largest employer of labour); the government is the presumed center of activities (para. 4, 10). Also, the ever pervading situation of the media owners’ commercial interest is given as another factor, and he examines how this drive is today shrouded in crusading pretension, the appropriation of the genuine crusading spirit of the founding fathers of Nigerian journalism, a factor he notes that violates journalism ethics (Adebiyi, 2009, para. 13, 15).
Development journalism is a desired element of news reporting which in recent times has led journalism scholars to recommend it to today’s newspaper medium and the Nigeria media as whole. Calls for media growth, spread and maturity beyond the conventional commercial reporting have been made, with recommendations from a major shift from emphasis on political development and politics to emphasis on improvement on economic and social development reporting (Nwosu, 1988). He continues that ‘most countries of Africa now have rural development as the focus of their national socio- economic and technological development programmes (p.37) and he goes further to point out how important it is for the media to take up the role of working with such programmes and making them priority in their media reporting operations. He also recommends the establishment of rural media outposts and posting of solely rural reporters to become ‘familiar with rural social organizations, social relationship, Roles and status structures, norms and values of the rural communities and indigenous associations, organizations and institutions’ Nwosu, 1988. P. 38). Ifenkwe (2008) believes the media as part of the national stake holders have the burden of upholding and propagating rural development and environmental education (p. 51). He outliness as outstanding the efforts of three national dailies (the Sun, Punch and Champion newspapers) and speaks of their responsible efforts at covering environmental and agricultural matters.
The publishing outfit seems to have understood that educating members of the public on agricultural and food security measures, as well as on global and national environmental problems is part of their responsibilities. It is only right and necessary for the other mass media outfits to follow this trend by monitoring and regulating both government and private agencies responsible for enforcing environmental laws and regulations, and to report breach of such provisions on their pages. Newspapers are readily available in most cities of the country. Furthermore, the level of education of the average Nigerian has to so improve that he can decipher ideas presented either in words or pictorially. Newspapers cannot afford to abdicate their advocacy responsibilities as Nigeria pursues her vision and goals of having a safe and healthy environments that secures the economic and social well-being of the present and future generations (Ifenkwe, 2008, p. 51)
In essence the present economic and security challenge of the nation Nigeria is such that gives little or no room for any other topic of discussion in the nations media. Little or no attention at all is paid to issues that concern rural development or the rural dwellers except as it concerns abduction or terrorist attack or anything that has to do with a breach of security and or the likes.
Kasoma (2001) defines clearly and sums up the expectation from Nigeria’s media when he points out that, ‘development journalism is the critical reportage of the going-ons in a community which acts as a catalyst in improving the life situation of the ordinary people’ (p. 80).
Rural life, rural areas and rural issues in African nation like Nigeria brings to mind a part of society untouched and unreached by modernization. For wholesome national transformation to be achieved, to create a developed society and polity, the need arises for the media to throw some spotlights on rural areas and issues since the media and modernization in today’s world are inextricably linked.