MEDIA GATE KEEPING PROCESS AS A CATALYST FOR PROMOTING GOOD GOVERNANCE
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MEDIA GATE KEEPING PROCESS AS A CATALYST FOR PROMOTING GOOD GOVERNANCE
Chapter one
Introduction
Background of the study.
Gatekeeping, a long-standing idea in mass communication, has traditionally been used to control the flow of news in the media and set the public agenda. From the gatekeeping notion, we learn that not all stories, no matter how essential, make it into the news.
We realise that news articles are selected in a systematic manner that is biassed and influenced by a variety of factors, including news norms, social values/pressures, and organisational considerations. In actuality, the gatekeeping idea highlights the often complicated hierarchical control and dominance of news media by a select few–the gatekeepers.
According to Soroka (2012), the basic idea of gate keeping has been cogently stated in Shoemaker’s valuable review of the literature thus: ”Simply put, gate keeping is the process by which the billions of messages that are available in the world get cut down and transformed into the hundreds of messages that reach a given person on a given day. (2001, p. 3).
Thus, a story’s success is determined by the actions of its many gatekeepers, who work at various stages of the process. Additionally, this “hierarchy of influences” illuminates “how news gets constructed – by individuals – within a social and occupational setting” (Reese, 2001); furthermore
The concept of gatekeeping thus has a huge influence on the voices heard and faces seen in the news media. How these processes of selection (and exclusion) of issues take place and are agreed on, and what elements impact them, are questions that have been raised in the context of community media.
Good governance has risen to the forefront of global governance as an essential requirement for social, economic, and political development (World Bank, 1989; UNESCO, 2005; Nanda, 2006; Hout, 2007; Gisserlquit, 2012), but it remains a source of concern and a significant challenge for most countries, including Nigeria.
Interestingly, the Nigerian government, in an effort to achieve good administration in the country, incorporated some of the concepts of good governance as a possible condition for governance in the 1999 Nigerian constitution under Sections 16 (1) a, b, c, and d, as well as Section 16(2).
Despite these constitutional protections, as well as the country’s immense financial resources and potential, including the social and economic policies pursued by successive administrations, Nigeria has yet to achieve good governance.
In another attempt to establish Good Governance in the country, recent democratic administrations have organised Good Governance tours, during which officials from the federal ministry of information, as well as journalists from various media outlets, inspect the progress of work on projects carried out by various federal and state government agencies.
The goal of the tour is for the media to evaluate the work of elected public officials at both the federal and state levels. Section 22 of the Nigerian constitution made provision for such an exercise, stating, among other things, that “the press, radio, television, and other agencies of the mass media shall at all times be free to uphold the fundamental objectives contained in this chapter and uphold the government’s responsibility and accountability to the people”.
The Nigerian government organised a Good Governance tour that found two significant challenges. First, the Nigerian government is concerned about and determined to improve the country’s governance.
This concern may stem from the importance attached to the Good Governance concept as highlighted in the United Nations Millennium Declaration, which articulates that the Millennium Development Goals must be achieved through Good Governance within each country and at the international level
as well as this well-cited quote from Kofi Anan, that, “Good Governance is perhaps the single most important factor in eradicating poverty and promoting development” (UN, 1998). Second, it describes the media’s symbiotic relationship with Good Governance.
The media plays an important role in the accountability chain between the government and the governed, giving information for citizens to hold those in power accountable while also articulating citizens’ views and preferences for the government to employ in policy making.
Given this assumption, this paper contends that the media’s contributions to Good Governance in society are carried out within the framework of Good Governance principles, and that the media’s potential to contribute to Good Governance is determined by the extent to which the media reflect and enforce these principles as an institution, as well as in the discharge of journalists’ fundamental roles.
The paper also identifies why the media are critical sectors in shaping governance relationships, with a focus on the Nigerian media, while highlighting some of the key opportunities and challenges to engaging with the sector, as well as providing a critical discourse on the concept of good governance.
Statement of the Problem
Thus, gatekeeping has a significant impact on the voices heard and faces seen in the news media. This study investigates how these processes of selection (and exclusion) of issues occur and are decided upon, as well as what factors impact them, in the context of community media. ”
Good governance is perhaps the single most important factor in poverty eradication and development” (United Nations, 1998). Second, it describes the media’s symbiotic relationship with Good Governance.
The media is a vital link in the accountability chain between the government and the governed, giving information for citizens to hold those in authority accountable as well as articulating citizens’ views and preferences for government to employ in policy creation.
The objectives of the study
The study’s aims are:
To determine the relationship between media gatekeeping and good governance in Nigeria.
To determine whether the government influences media to support good governance.
To determine the importance of media gatekeeping in governance.
Research Hypotheses
To ensure the study’s success, the researcher developed the following research hypotheses:
H0: There is no correlation between media gatekeeping and good governance in Nigeria.
H1: There is a link between media gate-keeping and effective governance in Nigeria.
H02: Government does not influence the media to promote good governance.
H2: government influences the media to promote good governance.
Significance of the Study
The report will be extremely valuable to students, the media, the government, and policymakers. The study will also provide insight into the Media Gatekeeping Process as a catalyst for fostering good governance in Nigeria. The study will also act as a reference for other researchers who would engage on the similar issue.
Scope and limitations of the study
The scope of the study includes the media gatekeeping process as a catalyst for advancing good governance in Nigeria.
Financial constraints- Insufficient funds tend to restrict the researcher’s efficiency in accessing relevant resources, literature, or information, as well as in data collecting (internet, questionnaire, and interview).
Time constraints: The researcher will conduct this investigation while also working on other academic projects. This will reduce the amount of time spent on research.
a) AVAILABILITY OF RESEARCH MATERIAL: The researcher has insufficient research material, which limits the investigation.
1.7 Definition of Terms
Gatekeeping refers to how the media filters information for the public. Editors, news directors, and other people use this news viewpoint and its complex criteria to pick a small number of news stories for public dissemination.
Good governance entails processes and organisations producing results that meet societal demands while making the best use of available resources. Efficiency in the framework of good governance includes the sustainable use of natural resources as well as environmental protection.
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