From a global points of view, Third-world countries which are mostly found in the continent of Africa have been conspicuously backward in terms of development vis-à-vis their western counterparts where a day hardly passes without the celebration of one scientific or technological feat or another. The issue of underdevelopment is characterized by the level of poverty, illiteracy, disease, intertribal conflict, corruption, absence of infrastructural amenities and general mal-administration.
In Nigeria for example, it is obvious and regrettable that successive governments only pay lip service towards ameliorating the plight of rural dwellers in the country. The situation is further intensified by the inconsiderable low coverage given to rural problems by our national media. To achieve national development, rural development is a necessary step that cannot be jettisoned. The hope of developing Nigeria and all other developing countries in order to have a better tomorrow lies in the development of our rural areas.
The mass media, saddled with the responsibility of filling the communication gap between the government and the rural dwellers in terms of coverage of issues in all sections of the society is obviously underperforming. The extent of coverage which should range from the affluent to the poor, from the urban to the hinterland, is however, not so with our National newspapers, the development of both the rural and urban communities must be given priority attention in the scheme of things, in order for National Development to take place.
To achieve national development, rural development is a necessary step that cannot be jettisoned. The hope of developing Nigeria and all other developing countries in order to have a better tomorrow lies in the development of our rural areas. (Ati, 2012). However, observation shows that not much has been done by the government in order to improve the quality of life of rural dwellers when compared to that of the urban populace. This means that much emphasis has rather been on urban development. In this regard, the mass media has a vital role to play in rural development through the quality and high level of rural development it covers in its reportage and the dissemination of same to the public. It becomes important therefore that the rural areas be given more opportunities in the scheme of information. The fact remains that information provided by these media will serve as a tool for mobilization, galvanization, sensitization and transformation of the rural communities. The newspapers, for instance, will localize and interpret state and national news for the consumption of the people. Although there is scarcely any community newspaper in Nigeria today, this void can be filled by national and state newspapers through improved coverage of community activities.
The advent of print medium in Nigeria, especially the Newspaper, has helped to define Nigerian’s modern history in the 19th and 20th centuries and has served as a marker of important and national changes. It has helped herald every stage of her existence especially her political existence; from her anticipation and agitation for independence to post-independence clamor for socio-political change to today’s daily debates and commentaries on day-to-day infrastructural underdevelopment. Newspaper being the first form of media to exist in the world history, through the form of ancient Roman bulletins and being the first form of western media to operate also in Nigeria’s history via pre independence missionary publications; to today’s complex daily chronicling of daily events, has served in societal development either as a reflection of advancement or as a voice for demands for one change or the other.
Nigeria’s Newspaper has evolved through the years in their role of change crusaders of any and every form of national , political, societal and infrastructural ills; embracing forms of journalism that vary from watch dog journalism to development journalism. Some scholars argue that “Newspapers in Nigeria since they were introduced to the society have been dedicated to appraisal of the problems of time”. Babalola (2002, p. 404). Isiaka (2005) discussed the emergence of nationalistic, political press following a blank period of 15 years, a period that occurred after the existence of pioneer, missionary newspaper like the Iwe Irohin and the Anglo African. He also mentioned that the press however, after the civil war switched to a nation building support instrument; launching the reconciliation, reconstruction, rehabilitation agenda and carrying it for a while then turned to a democratic and anti-corruption vanguard in the Murtala regime and eventually slide back to press partnership, but this time with more credibility and holding the government accountable (p.18).
An article on nigerianbusinessnews.wordpress.com gives an appraisal of the Nigerian print-cum-newspaper media and their contribution to the polity and her national image:
“Nigeria has one of the most pulsating media systems in Africa. Over 100 national and local newspapers and publications operate in Nigeria. Some of them are owned by the state government. The Nigerian newspaper includes esteemed dailies, well-linked tabloids and periodicals that define the welfare of ethnic groups in Nigeria. The Nigerian newspaper had played a very significant role in achieving a sincere and responsible government in the fourth republic, by being candidly vocal about the social and political issues in Nigeria”. (para.1, 2)
These reviews on the Nigeria newspaper medium shows the useful and sometimes flawed roles the newspaper has served, leading Nigeria to her present state. The question however arises as regards how much Nigeria newspaper medium and its intricate relationship with Nigeria’s political history has sought for development in all strata of Nigerian environment, If Newspaper has conserved their efforts and campaigns to just concerns about the Nation’s political landscape or if they have ensured their journalistic activities to have benevolently sought to include rural development issues of the Nation in their press and print content.
The print media, as observed, rarely cover the rural areas in comparison to cities. In fact, very limited time is allotted to these coverage, which are not enough considering the scope of the activities going on there. Granted that some national media have allotted pages to community news and vents, or even supplements for the local areas where each local government area is focused upon, unfortunately, these are not in-depth. Only peripheral issues are covered. Discussion and serious analysis are missing; it all boils down to window dressing.
Scholarly studies in this regards advise journalists and newspapers to through their news coverage promote rural transformation and thus celebrate the core African society.
The backdrop of these stages of evolvement of the Nigeria Newspaper shows the ability of newspaper to give objective, thorough, sound and fair coverage and knowing that the coverage so given by the newspapers can help by redirecting change agents on the priority of the local populations, this research work therefore is imperative as it seeks to survey the content of newspaper in Nigeria in relation to the attention it pays to the nation’s rural areas. It is centered on the close association the newspaper medium has with rural life in Nigeria; the amount of publicity the rural areas in Nigeria get through newspaper coverage and how much attention and or focus the newspaper pays to it.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
This part of the study is concerned with the presumed shortcomings of Nigeria Newspaper coverage related to the topic of this research work. The outlined statement gives the presumed short coming of newspaper coverage and the result of this research work will determine the extent and depth and prominence of coverage accorded development problems by Nigerian newspapers.
It will also validate, dismiss or prove the presumption correct, with a view to identifying the level of commitment of the nation’s press towards rural transformation and emancipation from economic, social and political bondage. This project therefore seeks to establish the statement of the problem that falls into the following categories;
– The problem of newspaper aimed to circulate within urban and rural setting leave out issues pertinent to an aspect of its reach- the rural area from all its contents: editorial, picture news, feature writing, opinion articles and its basic contents.
– The absence of community newspaper purely devoted to the coverage of rural activities. Low amount and quality of rural news carried by the national media are sufficient and not capable enough to bring about the desired positive change in the rural areas if not, are there ways of making the Nigeria newspapers devote more attention to rural news?
– Also, the amount of publicity the rural areas of Nigeria get through Newspaper coverage and how much attention and or focus the Newspaper pay to it because there is need to make rural population part of the political, economic and general coverage.
– Newspapers have not given enough attention to rural areas in their news report and print content; can deliberate efforts be made to make the Nigerian newspapers that are not development minded to be more development focused? This is because other issues especially politics carry more weight and in the Nigerian Newspapers and there is need to make the rural population part of the political reportage.
1.3 Aim Objectives of the Study
This study aims at finding the level of attention given to rural issues in Nigeria by the Nigeria Print Media; particularly Daily Trust and Blueprint.
The Objectives include:
1. To access the extent at which the mass media, in this context the newspapers, have succeeded or failed in discharging their community development functions.
2. To ascertain the roles of newspapers in aiding rural development in Nigeria.
3. To rekindle the desire for the coverage of community development activities by national dailies with a view to improving the standard of living of rural dwellers.
1.4 Research Questions
The research questions are drawn to guide the direction of this work. The following questions therefore serve as spotlight for this research work;
I. To what extent does the Nigeria Newspaper cover rural development news?
II. What is the quality of rural development reportage by the Nigeria Newspaper?
III. Are the two newspapers (Daily Trust and Blueprint) balanced in their coverage of rural news?
IV. Can the effective coverage of rural development news by the Nigeria print help foster the so much desired development?
1.5 Focus of the Study
The scope of the study is restricted to two Nigerian daily newspapers; Daily Trust and Blueprint. Their rural news items in form of news pictures, news features, news articles, news stories and advertorial constitute this study scope in space; The study spans a period of six month and the focus is on the quantity, quality and effects of the reportage of rural development by these newspapers.
1.6 Significance of the Study
The study offers the readers the opportunity to assess the level of commitment of these newspapers in furthering the cause of rural development through adequate coverage of rural problems. It also highlights the place of newspapers in the mobilization, education and sensitization of rural dwellers with a view to bettering their life. With this study, newspaper editors will see the need for the use of community development news as lead stories rather than as ‘fillers’ in the inside pages.
This work is also a guide to media properties in terms of designing a suitable editorial policy that will give their newspapers freedom to give adequate attention to rural development problems.
Apart from helping government fashion out an effective rural-oriented communication policy, the study may also help in broadening the knowledge of the role, place and importance of the mass media, especially the newspapers in community development.