CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
In its 1956 history, the Nigeria news media has evolved from endorsing colonial missionary catechism through the spirited advocacy of the struggle for Independence and moved its post indigene mission and defining its role with the state, it is imperative to note that press had played and is still playing a key role in Nigeria. The mass media is therefore the bedrock on which the government fabric is built. Mass Media is the channel through which the military and civilian government expresses their policy.
Since 1960, the press has been asserting its relevance to the evolution o the Nigeria state although 29 of those forty seven (47) years, it has operated under the malevolence of increasingly repressive military regimes. It vital tradition of lively reportage. Remarkable on the African content was natured within a political culture that tolerated dissent, especially as a mechanism for balancing various ethnic and political forces battling for the centre of the Nigeria state.
Up till date, conflict between the media and the state were resolved through back door negotiation or judicial intervention although many journalist have been lined and others jailed for carrying out their civic and constitutional responsibility, some decreases were promulgated by the military government Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) whose members include government and independent press.
Again, the military regime, Babangida particularly targets the Nigeria media in their classic role as public watchdog and instrument of check against government exceses. In a sophisticated carrot and stick strategy, the government, corrupted many members of the press, terrified some and sent some in exile, it was under this kind of military regime that top editor, Dele Giwa was assassinated with a letter bomb in 1986 and various publication were prescribed by the executive decree.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
This research work aim at studying the different challenges of investigative journalism practice in Nigeria, using Daily Trust Newspaper Nigeria as a case study.
It is also intended to compare and contrast the level of freedom of information during the military era and in present democratic dispensation. The researcher want to know if the recent Freedom of Information Law in Nigeria has enhance the effectiveness of journalists and reduce the level of victimization, harassment, killing, kidnapping and host of others challenges facing media in the course of gathering and dissemination information to the general public.
1.3 Research Questions
The following questions are of interest in this study;
What are likely problems or difficulties encountered by journalist in Nigeria?
To what extent does the Nigeria constitution adequately guarantees press freedom?
What could be done to promote press freedom in Nigeria?
How can problems encountered by the press in the discharge of the duty be minimized?
1.4 Objectives of the Study
The aim of this study is to discuss the challenges facing investigation journalism practice in Nigeria using Daily Trust Magazine as a case study, other objectives of the study are:
To identify various problems encountered by the press and solution to it.
To understand the principles of press freedom.
To enhance the freedom of press To understand the problems faced by the press in Nigeria.
1.5 Significance of the Study
The purpose of this research work is to take a critical look at the different challenges facing investigative journalists in the course of their duties and various analysis to determine how the corporate objective of journalism practice can be realized.
It is the hope of researchers the finding will go a long way to assist potential journalists to know how far the Nigeria constitution goes in guaranteeing the freedom of the press.
Students of mass communication, journalism and other related fields of study will through this research know some of the impediments to their success and the challenges ahead of them so that they will be able to prepare for those challenges.
1.6 Scope of the Study
This project work has been properly designed and segmented in such way that covered our case study, that is, Daily Trust Newspaper. This does not imply that any information necessary from outside was not added but it based on relevant issues of challenges of investigative journalism practice in Nigeria.
The research data or information was collected from the organization (Dai) and it based on what has been happening concerning challenges of investigative journalism practice in Nigerian. All relevant information was collected within Nigeria only, due to time and financial constraints.
1.7 Limitations of the Study
During the course of this research, some limitations were encountered such as:
Limitation of the respondents: questionnaires that were administered to only staff of Daily Trust Newspaper. This is necessitated by the limited period need to complete the work.
Financial constraints.
Duration for the research work is relatively short.
Uneasy access to informative materials on time.
Stress from other academic assignments is one of the limitations to the study.
1.8 Historical Background of Daily Trust Newspaper
Daily Trust newspapers are published by Media Trust Limited (MTL). The MTL is owned by a group of young Nigerians who are passionate about restoring integrity to media profession. Their publication, which started with weekly trust in 1998, also became the first private daily newspaper to be printed in the FCT, Abuja. Other titles of MTL, in addition to daily trust and weekly trust, are Sunday trust, Aminiya, Kano chronicle & Kilimanjaro.
The Daily Trust newspaper came on stream on January 15, 2001 in Abuja. It started about three years after the birth of its sister publication (Weekly Trust, now Daily Trust on Saturday) in Kaduna.
The decision to start the daily publication elicited different reactions from different stakeholders, including the staff. Some saw it as a gamble; others said the owners were pushing their luck too far. But the owners were determined and the reader, who has to vote everyday with his money, was focused. It has since earned the trust of the reader. The rest is now history.
The newspaper went from filling a void, as some stakeholders said, to setting the pace in the media industry. With four presses in Abuja, Lagos, Kano and Maiduguri, the newspaper now enjoys wide circulation across Nigeria.
On December 18, 2016 the Daily Trust was named Nigeria’s Newspaper of the Year by the Nigeria Media Merit Award (NMMA). The newspaper’s editor, Nasiru L. Abubakar, was also named Editor of the Year.
In this special publication, you will read interviews and other articles detailing how the paper started, the challenges it faced, and what it needs to do going forward.
1.9 Definition of the Terms
Journalism: Journalism can be defined as the day to day gathering and transmitting of news, which means journalism, is primarily concerned with giving out of information to an audience on a regular basis through a suitable channel of communication.
Investigation: This is the process or act of scrutinizing and placing a careful search or examination in order to discover facts that are hidden or concealed.
Investigative journalism: Investigative journalism can be defined as the collection and processing of facts about current events for dissemination to the public through the medium of newspapers, magazine, radio, television and so on. Its implementation requires journalists to have excellent skills that must be mastered and learned.
In particular, research, analytical and communication have to be learned by the practitioners in an effort to make their work more effective.
Journalist: This refers to a person whose primary occupation is the gathering writing, editing and transmitting of information on a current event to the public.
Investigative Journalist: This is the person whose primary occupation to gather, writes, edits with the use of investigation, interview and transmit the information to the public.
Media of Journalism: The different media through which information gathered can be presented are:
The print media: Newspaper, magazine
The electronic: Radio, television, film and internet.
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