THE MASS MEDIA AND POLITICAL AWARENESS IN EKET LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA (A STUDY OF AKBC RADIO PROGRAMME “POLITICS AND YOU”)
CHAPTER ONE
- 1 INTRODUCTION
The media have been useful in all aspect as far as information dissemination is purely concerned. Known as the fourth arm, the media have actualized the country’s dream in term of keeping abreast people on daily trend going on and people like Nigeria have been satisfied about the activities of media. In Nigeria, the media feed the masses with potential and first crass ready made news in various aspects namely. economic, social, even scientific and technology. The most important aspect is the political factor where the media have been fully involved.
It is common to note that the television the radio, various newspapers and magazines, the billboards and the internet have developed interest to always educate Nigerians about the political activities of past political holders. As the country is progressing democratically the media have contributed to the democratization of Nigeria. It would have been difficult for many Nigerians to be focus if the media were not functional in this respect. Since, the media have taken the right step to fulfill such duty as keeping people aware about political issues then one cannot hesitate to say that the media are of paramount importance to all people of different professional callings.
The media have never relented effort to forge ahead in the present political dispensation despite intermediation by some government officials. Journalists belonging to these media have been hardworking on twenty four hours basis provided news about politics have proliferated every fact of the country’s section therefore-e the media have not discriminated people. This shows that the media have gone into rural areas and despite Nigerian roads which are not motorable, the media have taken entrying to these rural areas as a challenge because of the need to always avoid information in stock. It is against this backdrop that this research is very essential because the media constitute an important organ capable of constructing or destroying the country’s image locally and internationally.
Now that Nigeria has embraced the rear democracy, the media have supported such moves when such action was taken in 1999 when Olusegun Obasanjo assured duty as Nigeria’s civilian ruler then when Alhaji Musa Yar’Adua succeeded him after he spent two mandates. This is the focus of this research study.
1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEMS
People have confided themselves on the media because they have benefited information related to political activities in the country. The media have been fully involved in information gathering and dissemination, this is because the media have taken such task as a challenge.
The media have not limited themselves to city dwellers, they have gone up to the interior villages or rural areas to ensure information dissemination among these rural dwellers.
The media have always relationship with the three arms of government and as a result they have constructively criticized the political
ambitions.
Despite threat from the government, the media have never relented in passing across political tendencies of politicians, meaning that the media are always aware of politics.
1.3 OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY
The aim and objectives of the study include among others
- To assess the media and its political awareness with particular reference to AKBC radio programme.
- To investigate media interest in politics
- To investigate the media and its political orientation to people of Mkpat Enin Local Government Area.
- To proper recommendation that can sustain the media and its political awareness.
1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
- Are there problems militating against the media and its political awareness in Mkpat Enin Local Government Area?
- Do the media the task of political awareness to the masses?
- Which of the medium is best suited as organ of political awareness
- Do the Nigerian masses attached importance to the media in this political dispensation?
1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
This protect will help media experts to strategies in order to keep aware the masses on political issues.
It will enable the media to correct past mistakes on political activities they report and use appropriate means to always keep the masses aware of political events. The study will be of importance to seasoned politician, students of mass communication and other prospective researcher who will like to embrace the profession concerned.
1.6 DELIMITATION AND LIMITATION OF THE STUDY
The delimitation is simply the research boundary which is the media and its political awareness and since it is impossible to study the entire population of Nigeria of Akwa Ibom State , Mkpat Enin has been specified as case study with reference to AKBC radio progranrme.
As for thee limitation of the study, there were some constraints like time which as very limited considering the semester, lack of resource material where it was difficult to get access to reference, journals book etc and the administration of questionnaires to Mkpat Enin which was major hindrance because of bad roads.
1.7 OPERATIONAL DEFINITIONS OF KEY TERM AND ACRONYM
In order to avoid ambiguity the acronym have been defined. following term and acronym have been defined.
