GATEKEEPING AND OBJECTIVITY IN NEWS REPORTING: A STUDY OF THE NATION AND DAILY TRUST NEWSPAPERS IN NIGERIA

Abstract

Objectivity and gatekeeping are two of the most talked about concepts in journalism practice globally. However, because of the way facts are presented to journalists by news sources, there have been cases whereby media audiences assume that journalists are biased. This explains the idea behind this study on objectivity and gatekeeping in the Nigerian media, using two national daily newspapers in Nigeria (The Nation and Daily Trust newspapers). Using the Social Responsibility and the theory of media ownership, the study focused on the objective nature of journalism and also examined how the gatekeeping function of the media is affecting the practice of objectivity in the Nigerian media. With the aid of the systematic random sampling method, the research found that while attaining absolute objectivity in the media may be difficult, it is however achievable only if the reporters shy away from prejudices, pre-conceptions, feelings and ambitions. He must be able to keep his biases in check. The research also found that even though absolute objectivity may not be possible except as a target, proper adherence to the gatekeeping functions of the media can go a long way to actualize the objective principle of journalism profession. This can be done by sticking to verifiable facts, excluding inferences, judgement and slanty reporting. It recommends that efforts should be made to improve on journalism training in the country while media organizations should ensure that those saddled with the responsibility of handling media contents are constantly reminded of what is required of them.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background to the Study

In journalism and media discourse, objectivity is a concept that is discussed almost on a daily basis both by media practitioners, newsmakers and new readers alike. It is one of the major news concepts often mentioned or discussed. It is the most central concept in media history relating to information quality (Ekwueme, 2009). News objectivity is an ethical aspect of journalism practice which has helped to isolate individual journalistic biases and opinions from the actual state of events. The concept of objectivity in journalism according to Potter (2006:9) developed almost a century ago as a reaction to the sensational, opinion driven reporting that was common in most newspapers. The term was originally used to describe a journalistic approach or method; Journalists would seek to present news in an objective way without reflecting any personal or corporate bias. Objectivity means the absence of personal biases, feelings, influence or opinion in writing news stories as it may apply to reporting. Objectivity hinges on separating independently verifiable ‗fact‘ from subjective values (Schudson 1978:293). Commitment to objectivity in Journalism can be defined as meaning that a person‘s statement about the world can be trusted if they are submitted to established rules deemed legitimate by a professional community. Schudson stressed that ―objectivity norm guides Journalists to separate facts from values and to report only the facts. Objective reporting is supposed to be cool, rather than emotional in tone, taking pain to represent fairly, each leading side in a political controversy. According to an objectivity norm, the Journalist‘s job consists of reporting something called the ―news without commenting on it, slanting it or shaping its formulation in any way (Schudson 2001:150).

However, in discussing objectivity, another issue that readily comes to mind is the issue of gatekeeping in the media as well as what the public expects from the media. As a fundamental practice in journalism, gatekeeping describes the process by which news stories are filtered by journalists and editors for dispersal in any medium. The process comes into play every time a blogger chooses to feature a story in a website‘s top position, a news producer decides to cover one issue but not another or a magazine reporter selects a source to interview for a report. Interestingly, the gatekeeping function of journalism has shifted under the changes of the digital information age. While the Internet has forever altered the way people read the news, the principles of gatekeeping still apply in many instances. In other words, it can be said that the issue of gatekeeping cannot be divulge from the objectivity role of the media. This is so because in the process of performing the role of a gatekeeper, the Journalist determines what the public should or should not know and in the process of doing this, objectivity may be affected. It must be said that gatekeeping is a prime factor in Journalism practice globally. The idea of gatekeeping is aimed at sifting the information the media release to the public, deciding what to leave out that may be potentially injurious to the society. Likewise, newsmakers and government officials also play the role of the gatekeeper when giving out information to the reporters. The truth is that no media establishment can transmit all messages it receives on a daily basis. Some people have to decide which information goes out, which ones to defer, which ones to modify and which ones to delete. Such individuals literally open and close the ―gate‖ that stands between the information source and the recipient. However, gatekeeping is not restricted to accepting and rejecting information, but also involves shaping, display, timing, repeating the message for emphasis, and so on. In other words, the Journalist is first a gatekeeper, before becoming a reporter, a sub-editor or an editor. Quoting Ekeli, former General Manager of Delta Publishing Company, Folarin (1998) said that gatekeeping is nothing but voluntary self-censorship performed by the media themselves which emanate from the understanding by journalists that apart from legal restrictions on what is to be published, the journalists have a duty to be socially responsible to their readers in whatever materials they package for them. Discussion on objectivity in the media may not be complete without mentioning the gatekeepers whose responsibility it is to safeguard the content of the media. It is common knowledge that the gatekeepers play a very important role in media practice across the globe.

1.2 Statement of the Research Problem

The media has become one of the most important aspects of life in today‘s world and plays a major role in shaping events across the globe. In Nigeria, the media is known to have played a major role in the nation‘s independence, the struggle for the return to democratic rule and the abortion of the third term bid by former President Olusegun Obasanjo. This is apparently in line with the belief by media scholars that the media sets the agenda for the society. Taking into consideration the fact that there are certain people in the media that determine what should be published and what should not be published and the requirements for an objective reporting, this research work attempted to provide answers to pertinent questions in the industry.

However, in performing this gatekeeping role, media practitioners are expected by the society to display a high level of objectivity. They are also expected to report events without any form of personal bias and opinion while selecting events and issues that the public should know. Although there have been divergent views on the objective nature of the media. While some media scholars believe that there can be no complete objectivity in the performance of media function, others think otherwise. Also, in recent times, the effectiveness of the gatekeeping function of the media has been called to question by the society they tend to serve. Since the advent of online news and the social media, the reporting speed required of news services has increased steadily. It has made gatekeepers even more likely to rely on prepared material and handout which may not be in line with objectivity and gatekeeping practice. This apparently explained why McQuail (2010) argued that despite its usefulness and potential for dealing with many different situations, the gatekeeping concept has a built-in limitation in its implication that news arrives in ready story form at the ‗gates‘ of the media, where it is either admitted or excluded. This forms the basis for this study to determine the level of influence of the various gatekeepers on the objective reporting of issues and events by the media.

1.3 Research Questions

The following questions were addressed:

1. How do objectivity and gatekeeping influence news reporting by Daily Trust and The Nation Newspapers?
2. What are the factors responsible for the performance of Daily Trust and The Nation in relation to objectivity and gatekeeping?
3. How do self-censorship, ownership and control affect objectivity in news reporting in the Daily Trust and The Nation?

1.4 Aim and Objectives of the Study

The aim of this study was to find out the level of objectivity in news reporting by journalists in Nigeria and how the performance of the gatekeepig function of the media impact on this objectivity role. However, the specific objectives of this study therefore are:

1. To find out the extent to which objectivity and gatekeeping influences news reporting by

Daily Trust and The Nation Newspapers?

1. To find out the factors responsible for the performance of Daily Trust and The Nation in relation to objectivity and gatekeeping?
2. To find out how self-censorship, ownership and control affect objectivity in news reporting in the Daily Trust and The Nation?

1.5 Scope of the Study

In the course of the study, the researcher intends to focus on two selected national daily newspapers namely, Daily Trust newspaper and The Nation newspaper. Daily Trust is selected to represent daily newspapers in the north, while The Nation newspapers represented newspapers in the southern part of the country. The two newspapers were selected in view of their wide spread in circulation and area of coverage in the country.

1.6 Significance of the Study

This study is significant to the practice of news journalism in Nigeria as it looked at the practice of journalism in the country amidst of proliferation of information on the Internet which has diminished the power of journalists as gatekeepers. It is also significant because the proliferation of information has the capacity to either positively or negatively affect objectivity in news reporting in the media. Inspite of this, the journalists still play a role in sorting, interpreting and lending credibility to news reporting. The fact that journalists choose which stories to cover and which ones to leave out by attempting to determine the overall newsworthiness of an issue makes the study important considering the fact that a number of factors goes into this decision-making process by the journalist. Although there are those who believe that the journalists no longer function as the primary gatekeepers of news reportage because the proverbial gates have been blown wide open by the proliferation of digital information. Inspite of this, the journalists still hold the key and play critical roles as watchdogs.

In a society where information and misinformation is so easily distributed, journalists can provide services as fact-checkers who hold stories up to the light of objectivity. Objectivity called for journalists to develop a consistent method of testing information. However, there is a dispute about whether objectivity can really exist. How would people know the truth since journalistic objectivity is an effort to discern practical truth? Reporters seeking genuine objectivity search out the best truth possible from the evidence they can find. To discredit objectivity because it is impossible to arrive at perfect truth is akin to dismissing trial by jury because it is not perfect in its judgments. Gatekeeping and objectivity are the two major requirements to be considered as very important in daily practice of journalism. This study therefore will add to the stock of existing body of knowledge on news objectivity and gatekeeping in Nigeria and possibly improve on the debate on the two concepts. Researchers carrying out study in similar area can use the finding of this research to support their own study and can also serve as an empirical reference material for further study.

1.7 Justification of the Study

These two newspapers are studied due to their adequacy in content and the fact that they constitute some of the newspapers with the widest circulation in the country today. While Daily Trust is chosen from among the newspapers owned and published in the northern part of Nigeria, The Nation is chosen from those owned and published in the southern part. The two newspapers have correspondents across the 36 States of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory. Similarly, these two newspapers are believed to parade some of the best hands in journalism practice in the country today, with what followers of the papers regard as the ―fearless brand of journalism‖. Since there is a general belief among media followers that the two newspapers practice some level of fearless journalism, they were chosen for this study to ascertain their level of objectivity and gatekeeping practice. While The Nation is believed to parade some of the best crop of writers in the industry today, at the time of this study, Daily Trust was about the only media house in the country with an ombudsman.

1.8 Limitations of the Study

In carrying out study of this nature, one major limitation has always been the dearth of quality of information on one hand and people willing to give such information as and when needed. On the other hand, the major limitation of this study was the difficulty in obtaining past studies combining the two concepts in the study. In other words, while materials were readily available on objectivity and gatekeeping, it was practically impossible to obtain materials combining objectivity and gatekeeping in one study. Considering the importance of the two concepts to journalism practice, it appears that scholars have always study them individually and not considering how one affects the other in the day-to-day practice of journalism. This obstacle no doubt has its own impact on the outcome of the study.

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