PEOPLE’S PERCEPTION ON URBAN-RURAL NEWS IMBALANCE IN NIGERIANS NEWSPAPER
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
1.3 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
1.6 SCOPE OF THE STUDY
1.7 LIMITATION OF THE STUDY
1.8 DEFINITION OF TERMS
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 VITAL AND IMPORTANT ROLES MASS MEDIA CAN PLAY IN RURAL INFORMATION SYSTEM IN NIGERIA
2.2 PROBLEMS OF RURAL REPORTING IN NIGERIA
2.3 NEWSPAPER AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT
2.4 RURAL-URBAN INFORMATION FLOW AND RURAL REPORTING
2.5 RURAL-URBAN INFORMATION FLOW AND RURAL JOURNALIST
2.6 RURAL INFORMATION FLOW AND NATIONAL IMAGE
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
3.1 INTRODUCTION
3.2 RESEARCH DESIGN
3.3 STUDY POPULATION
3.4 SAMPLE AND SAMPLING TECHNIQUE
3.5 DATA FOR THE STUDY: INSTRUMENTATION
3.5.1 INSTRUMENTATION
3.5.2 VALIDITY OF INSTRUMENT
3.6 METHOD OF DATA ANALYSIS
CHAPTER FOUR
4.0 DATA PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION
4.1 INTRODUCTION
4.2 DATA ANALYSIS (QUESTIONNAIRE)
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
5.1 SUMMARY OF FINDINGS
5.2 CONCLUSION
5.3 RECOMMENDATION
REFERENCES
QUESTIONNAIRE
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Looking at information flow pattern between urban and rural areas vis-à-vis development in Nigeria, it has become pertinent to
look within and be more conscious of internal information flow chart before taking the agitation to international level. The fact
remains that the internal information structure is weak; therefore, the struggle for balance in information circle should start at
home. National development can only be achieved in a society, where there is both quantitative and qualitative information, which
are available and accessible to the majority of people.
Despite their vaunted objectivity and self-acclaimed commitment to fairness, it can be argued that the Nigerian mass media has
over the years, solely neglected the rural areas.
The perspective of the Nigeria mass media was, and continues to be (despite some
progress), strictly urban. The media reports and writes from the standpoint of an urban dweller’s world. The ills of the rural areas,
difficulties of life there, their burning sense of grievance, are seldom seriously conveyed. Indeed, over ninety-five percent (95%) of
the Nigerian mass media, particularly the print media, can be referred to as the urban press-après that repeatedly if unconsciously,
reflects the bias, the paternalism and the indierence of the typical urban dweller.
This bias manifests itself in one or two forms: neglect of the majority and distortion of news about the rural populace.
While the
former refers to neglect of rural eorts, aspirations and overall existence, the latter refers to a situation whereby the issues, events
or eorts of our rural areas, whenever reported, are inaccurately and sometimes carelessly reported in the media. In most cases,
this inaccuracy or distortion stems from the typical Nigerian journalist’s misguided belief that since majority of our rural populace
are illiterate, all of them cannot understand whatever was being said.
In Nigeria, a multiplicity of media houses can be found, largely due to the diversity of the population of the country. Media houses
are seen to cluster in and around cities and towns. The importance of the media in disseminating information for development
cannot be over emphasized. Rivers and Schramm (1969: p.2) comment on the ubiquitous nature of the mass media. In other words,
“We have become aware of the importance of mass communication. Nearly everyone is convinced that the mass media, good or bad
are central to modern society. Most of us depend upon mass communication products for a large majority of all the information and
entertainment we receive during life.”
Annan (1997: p. 22) avers saying, “If information and knowledge are central to democracy,
they are the conditions of development. Knowledge and information are essential for people to successfully respond to the
opportunities and challenges of social, economic and technological changes. But to be useful, knowledge and information must be
effectively communicated to people (World Bank, 2004: P. 5).
Amodu (2007) cited in Anaeto (2010: p. 4) in examining development,
says that it is the process of positive socio-economic change in the quality and level of human existence which is aimed at raising the
standard of living, the quality of life and human dignity.
This study focuses on People’s perception the role of reporters on the Urban-rural news imbalance in Nigerians newspaper, using
The Guardian newspaper as a case study.
1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
Talking about neglect of the rural areas by the Nigeria mass media, the temptation is to pass o such neglect as a result of prejudice,
on the part of reporters and editors — unconscious, unintended prejudice nonetheless. To a certain extent, such an argument is
valid.
However, a more important reason for the neglect stems from the structure of Nigeria journalism — from the way the mass media has explicitly or implicitly defined who they are and what journalism in Nigeria is all about.
Arguably, most media houses in the country today believe that since they are situated in the urban areas, their primary task is to
satisfy their urban colleagues, who, aer all, are mostly those who attend to the media and, of course advertise in the papers and
magazines or buy up available air time to slot in their commercials. Perhaps they are right to adopt this stance of concentrating on
the urban areas, even if the journalists are ‘socialists’ at heart.
Journalism in Nigeria has for long been under the control of urban minds and it can be maintained that most of our newsrooms have
not yet had reporters who can, and are willing to, bring the perspectives, values and moves needed to broaden coverage.
Structurally, then, the Nigeria mass media has, largely been without the adequate firsthand knowledge needed to help them
improve coverage of the rural area.
Most of the reporters live in the cities and are more likely to notice things that are happening
within their vicinity rather than the problems, issues and developmental eorts of our rural populace. Thus, a conflict over the
quality of secondary school education in a remote rural location.
The other reason for the neglect of the rural populace by the media over the years is as the first, but it is no less significant.
Nigeria
journalists, unfortunately, define news in such a way that the rural dwellers are almost automatically excluded. Unless they happen
to be involved in communal clashes, or are protesting against the confiscation of their farmlands by the government without
adequate compensation; this structural definition limits coverage to that which entails a sort of conflict or un usualness.
These
problems make it obvious that there is a need to carry out a study on People’s perception the role of reporters on the Urban-rural
news imbalance in Nigerians newspaper.
1.3 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
The general objective of this study is to examine People’s perception the role of reporters on the Urban-rural news imbalance in
Nigerians newspaper. The specific objectives are:
To ascertain if there is an imbalance in urban and rural news on The Guardian newspaper.
To find out if urban news are given more preference to rural news on The Guardian newspaper.
To examine if daily times newspaper cover negatively rural areas than they do for urban areas.
To determine if reporters play a role in urban-rural news imbalance on The Guardian newspaper.
To investigate if urban-rural news imbalance influence people’s choice for The Guardian newspaper.
1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
The relevant research questions related to this study include the following:
Is there an imbalance in urban and rural news on The Guardian newspaper?
Are urban news given more preference to rural news on The Guardian newspaper?
Does daily times newspaper cover negatively rural areas than they do for urban areas?
Do reporters play a role in urban-rural news imbalance in The Guardian newspaper?
Does urban-rural news imbalance influence people’s choices for The Guardian newspaper?
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