News as a source of political propaganda in a Nigerian state government-owned television station
Authors:
Akoja Mofoluke
Publication Type: Journal article
Journal: Journal Of Communication And Media Research
ISSN Number:
0
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Abstract
It is argued that all government-owned media houses in Nigeria practice political propaganda. One of the reasons is that journalists working in such establishments are paid by the government. As a result, the media has been ineffective in carrying out objective reporting. Ogun State Television has been blamed for its consistent practice of political propaganda especially in news reporting. The study therefore argues that news is a source of political propaganda. Using the propaganda and framing theories, the study adopted the quantitative content analysis method. The 8pm news broadcast of Ogun State Television for a period of four months (February 2019 – May, 2019) were purposively selected due to high viewership. News broadcast of two days of the week which totalled 34 news broadcast formed the sample size. Findings showed that political propaganda is evident in Ogun State television news broadcast (n=34), such broadcasts are usually featured in the middle (67.6%) and as first stories in a news cast. The voices often heard in such reports are mostly that of politicians (55.8%). It was recommended that journalists in OGTV live up to the ethics of objectivity, fairness and balance that the profession upholds.