News Production in the Nigerian Press: Prospects and Challenges

Abstract

This study examines factors that shape news production in the Nigeria press to investigate its effect on media content and democracy, particularly since the return to civil rule in 1999 after 29 years of intermittent but dictatorial military rule. Using focus group discussions and semistructured interviews, the study found that the Nigerian press not only operates in a volatile ethnic and challenging economic environment but also encounters enormous political pressure which complicates, and often compromises the media’s ability to fulfill its constitutional role. The study recommends implementing the Freedom of Information Act and sets out a procedure for providing the media with more generous operating space in Nigeria.