Abstract

This paper explores the history and developmental process of newspapers in Nigeria. It examines the effect of military invasion of the political space and underscores the urban, ethnic and regional nature of press development in the country. The author examines and explains how the urban nature of the press has isolated from the democratic process, majority of Nigerians who are not just rural denizens but equally illiterate, poor and development-information starved. The paper notes that the urban but ethnic nature of the press from its origins subsists in today’s independent newspapers. It concludes with a challenge to the press to redefine itself by refocusing the traditional journalistic surveillance radar on its democratic/civic responsibilities, which include disseminating to all the people development-based information required in an all-inclusive democratic process.

Key Words: Newspapers, Press, Politics, Military, Nigeria

^JCMRJournal of Communication and Media Research, Vol. 4, No. 1, April 2012, 1 – 14.

© Delmas Communications Ltd.

About the author

[1]Dr. Stanley Naribo Ngoa is the Head, Department of Mass Communication, Covenant University, Ota, Ogun State. Nigeria. He is also a Senior Research Associate at the Centre for the Study of Democracy, Rhodes University/University of Johannesburg, South Africa.

Full Article

Words: 7,862; Pages: 14