SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND THE POLITICS OF NIGERIA JOURNALISM

NKEBEM SAMUEL SOLOMON
11/MAC/088

In our society today, one observes that just as the freedom of expression or information bill is being ill-treated by our law-makers, so too the freedom of the press has suffered the most from those in leadership. Side by side with freedom of expression is aimed at the enhancement of the common good. it is to actually do the right thing at the right time. In the Nigeria society, some journalist find it difficult to speak or die for the truth. In other words, some have lost the sense of responsibility they owe to the populace and the profession.
Examining social responsibility
The commission on freedom of the press considers social responsibility as a moral and ideological responsibility of an individual, or government, or group to society. This responsibility can either be refraining to act, or acting for the good of that particular society. Generally, in the Nigeria context we can talk about social responsibility which is to do something beneficial for the society, or simply put, to be proactive. However, it could be stated that it is very much voluntary, and goes beyond what is required by the law. It usually means facing a problem head-on and being proactive, or just getting angry about the problem. The adage that says being part of the solution and not the problem rings true in this case.
Basically, the main objective of social responsibility could be eliminating corruption, irresponsible of unethical behavior that might bring harm to the community, its people, or the environment, preferably before the behavior happens. In Nigeria however, the restrictions against freedom of expression with respect to journalism are notorious, and goes beyond ‘sensitive issues.’ Most media writers especially(poor) political writers place themselves under a lot of scrutiny when write pieces that are critical of the government or its policies. They are subject to such repressive laws, which almost immediately places everything as a secret, which means you are unable to report on it, and the yearly submissions for your license is a nerve wrecking affair that plunges most of them in despair.
Freedom of information creates an avenue for society, most importantly in the government. Though this public officials are held accountable through criticisms that can pone the way for their replacement through fair and due process. Naturally, being responsible for our actions, by being a accountable, is very important. However, in the Nigeria context, being responsible with this free speech is often, in my view, a means of keeping quiet. But the fact is that, when citizens are afraid to lend a voice to their discontent, it is usually because they fear retribution, making the government unresponsive to them, and thus the government becomes less accountable for its actions.
So the question we know ask is: How is freedom of speech made tangible in our society? And how does it move from being a vague concept? It is made tangible in circumstances where views from all sectors of society, majority and minority are heard. This information is then disseminated through all forms of media in the general digital, print and so forth. In a situation like ours where a large urban Population now have access to the internet, we have seen a huge increase in the blogging and utilization of new media to promote social responsibility and freedom of expression. Some of us might have heard of bloggers like Reuben Abati, Okey Debia, and lots of others who are largely political commentators on the internet. Politicians are often found cursing at bloggers even in parliament, when more time could be used discussing more pressing matters, like “where is all our money going to?”
Conclusion
We have been able to state the notion of social responsibility as it affect media writing, but I want to conclude here by inviting us to contemplate on a poem keeps me in focus my responsibilities as a journalist, and a citizen of a country to continue exercising the rights to express myself and be socially responsible, by Rev. Martin Niemoller: “first they came for the communist, and I didn’t speak up, because I wasn’t a communist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Jew. Then they came for the Catholics and I didn’t speak up, because I was a protestant. Then they came for me, and by that time there was no one left to speak up for me.