Nigerian journalists’ view on communication freedom and film regulation in the digital era

Abstract

Communication freedom and film regulation in the digital era is fundamental in any journalistic engagement. Within this context, this study investigates journalists’ view of communication freedom and film regulation in the digital era in Nigeria. A population of 300 respondents was considered while the theoretical postulation of Social Media Research Theory and Two-Step Flow Theory serve as framework. The convergence of these theories helps in understanding the role of media regulators in coming out with the template that strike a balance between communication freedom and regulation in the digital space. The study was premised on the prevailing discourse that communication freedom and film in the digital age is a herculean task. The study adopts cross-sectional design of survey in collecting the data. Findings reveal that there are instances of fake news, misinformation, disinformation and propaganda among other contents in films presented to the public. The films that are not reflective of the Nigerian situation and that tends to present negative views that need to be checked. The study also found out that the advent of new media and social media has made communication freedom and film regulation a herculean task. Film producers are leveraging on digitization to infuse negative contents in the audience. The study therefore recommends a review of film regulation in Nigeria in a manner that does not promote the abuse of freedom.