Press Ownership and Nigeria's Democracy

Abstract

Copyright © 2019 The Author. This paper examines the effect on democracy of press ownership in the context of Nigeria. Scholars have used a framework of reference drawn from Marxist political economy to reduce patterns of media ownership in Nigeria to class interests. This study investigates if and how newspaper proprietors shape their news organizations and it explores the implications of their influence on Nigeria’s political process. Evidence from focus group discussions and semi-structured interviews indicate that owners of newspapers exert political influence on the way news is selected, framed and reported to the extent that news reportage not only complicates Nigeria’s regional political rivalry and consolidating democracy; it also hinders efforts at modernisation. This paper will seek to elucidate these issues and make recommendations concerning the maintenance of a democratic press. It suggests that the press needs to offer a more professional, robust and comprehensive worldview for public interest.