ANALYTICAL STUDY OF NEWSPAPER PAPER REPORTAGE IN COMBATING NATIONAL SECURITY PROBLEM
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ANALYTICAL STUDY OF NEWSPAPER PAPER REPORTAGE IN COMBATING NATIONAL SECURITY PROBLEM
CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study
The fundamental roles of print media in any civilisation are to inform, educate, and entertain. Without a dynamic print media, societies cannot progress meaningfully.
Recognising this truth, Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States of America (USA), stated, “If it were up to me to choose between a government without newspapers and newspapers without a government
I would not hesitate a moment to choose the latter.” In recent years, Nigeria’s increasing degree of instability, particularly terrorism in the North and kidnapping in the South, has posed a significant danger to our national security. As a result, all hands must be on deck to address this situation.
Print media plays an important role in this context. The print media’s impact on society determines its prevailing ideals, views, and attitudes. The role of print media in addressing national security in a democratic system cannot be overstated, as it serves as a conduit between the people and their societal activities (Nwagboso, 2012).
For any activity to be noticed, the media must report on it. In order to have a good impact, the print media must prioritise national security. Section 22 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as amended, empowered the media to monitor administration and uphold the essential aims and Directive Principles of State Policy stated in Chapter 2 of the Constitution (Nwagboso 2012).
To emphasise the role of the print media in addressing insecurity in any community, Pulitzer (2014) noted, “There is no crime, no evasion, no trick, no swindle, and no vice that does not live in secret. Get all of this out there, describe it, fight it, and ridicule it in the press, and public opinion will eventually wash it away.”
According to the statements made above, the print media must create its own agenda for dealing with insecurity. It must also give platforms for religious leaders to preach and warn against criminal activities of all kinds, particularly terrorism.
This will not only draw attention to security issues, but will also enhance residents’ awareness of security and crime concerns (Ogbeche, 2012).
When the term “insecurity” is used to describe Nigeria today, the first words that come to mind are Boko Haram, kidnapping, and ethno-religious crises, until recently, when the agitation for the sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) and Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) resurfaced.
These words are used to illustrate the kind of insecurity unique to Nigeria and other nations around the world (Salawu, 2010). Though the nature of insecurity in Nigeria is complicated, the media may sensitise the public against such crimes by consistently covering them in a relevant and responsible manner.
Frequent conversations on insecurity issues would not only draw attention to the importance of addressing such challenges, but will also enhance residents’ and security agents’ awareness of the need to combat insecurity.
The print media is a significant socialisation institution, as well as the major cultural industry responsible for the dissemination of ideas and opinion formation in Nigerian society (Igbuzor, 2011). As a result, the print media must create purposeful segments or shows to speak out against all sorts of crime.
The print media must step up to publicise the MASSOB group’s current demonstration in the South East and some sections of the South/South before it escalates.
Reporting it immediately will assist to prevent a repeat of 1967, when the country went to war. Publishing their operations in newspapers will draw the attention of government and security officials, allowing them to put a stop to it right away.
The print media should also provide specific airtime and space to reporting and conversations about terrorism, kidnapping, and other forms of crime that might generate insecurity. This provides an opportunity to emphasise and expose the detrimental effects of such crimes on society.
Citizens could also use print media to expose crimes and raise awareness about criminal behaviours (Igbuzor, 2011). By involving citizens in information distribution, the print media will have established “Citizens Journalism.”
The horrible murder of four University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT) students at ALUU Community in Rivers State illustrated the value of citizen journalism in combating crime, as residents recorded and photographed the students’ killing and clubbing to death. These films and photos were shared to the internet via social media and YouTube.
This provoked a widespread outrage. Citizens’ journalism also came into play recently during the 2015 presidential elections, when almost every Nigerian with a handset became an on-the-ground reporter, sending stories, pictures, and political party scores/figures to the internet for citizens to follow up on, averting post-election violence that could have resulted from electoral manipulations.
A lack of peace does not attract foreign investors or motivate domestic investors to invest (Nwagboso, 2012). Without investment, much-needed growth cannot occur, and without growth, there is no development. An expatriate who is fearful of being abducted or bombed will be unwilling to invest in a crisis-ridden environment (Nwagboso, 2012).
To achieve growth and development, all forms of insecurity must be thoroughly vanquished and controlled, and the print media may play a significant role in creating a tranquil and business-friendly climate that would draw investors to the country.
Despite the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria’s emphasis on the mass media, the print media has yet to be fully mobilised as a tool for combatting insecurity in the country (Kufour, 2012).
This is because the print media faces numerous challenges, including a poor welfare package for media practitioners, a lack of continuous and constant training and retraining exercises for media workers, journalists’ tendency to self-censor for fear of victimisation by their employers, and citizens’ reluctance to provide information for fear of being attacked (Kufour, 2012).
To effectively play its role in addressing national insecurity, the print media requires an improved welfare package for journalists, adequate training for journalists, and insurance coverage to motivate them to engage in dare-devil conflict reporting in the public interest (Ani, 2009).
Security agents must also collaborate closely with print media players in order to combat crime effectively. Periodic workshops, symposia, and seminars on advanced crime reporting, among other things, are important for keeping journalists up to date on the latest trends in print media use in combating insurgency and other forms of criminal activity.
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