Assessing Readers‟ Perception of the Influence of Ownership and Control in Newspaper Coverage of 2014 Nigerian National Conference

Abstract

The Nigerian National Conference 2014 remains a milestone in the nation‘s political development. While many factors shaped its  outcome, opinions in certain quarters however suggest that the media was not only central in disseminating information about its  planning, proceedings and outcome to the public, but also that ownership and control influenced how the conference was reported. This  paper therefore seeks to validate or negate this claim. Using the simple random sampling procedure, a survey was conducted where 700  questionnaires were administered in the six area councils of the Federal Capital Territory to elicit readers‘ perception of the influence of  ownership and control on the coverage of the 2014 Nigerian National Conference by Nigerian Tribune, Daily Trust and Champion  newspapers. The research found that most readers perceived that ownership and control considerations influenced the coverage of the  2014 National Conference and that professional journalism ethics were not properly adhered to in the coverage of the conference. This  created lack of trust, contempt, un-believability and even loss of patronage of the newspapers by certain readers. This paper therefore  recommends that Nigerian newspaper publishers must allow professional judgment by editorial staff to prevail in generating, packaging  and disseminating news content so as to maintain the trust and confidence of readers who are likely to desert them if they perceive that they are influenced by ownership and control factors rather than ethical journalistic considerations. It also calls attention to the negative consequences of readers‘ perception of ownership and control architecture.