SOCIETAL IMPACT OF CORRUPTION IN THE JOURNALISM PRACTICES

ABSTRACT: This study examined the effects of citizen journalism on the practice of journalism in Nigeria, using the issue of corruption as a case study. Corruption poses a threat to the image of journalism profession and the ability of media practitioners to perform their duties objectively. The study is anchored on Habermas’s theory of the public sphere. It further took a contemporary look at Dennis McQuail’s democratic participant media theory and some citizen journalism scholarship. The study adopted the questionnaire and interview method of primary data collection in which 35 journalists in Nigeria were surveyed through email and phone calls respectively. Data collected were presented and analysed using tables, charts and percentages for easy interpretation. The study found among other things that citizen journalism impacts positively on the daily routine of journalists in Nigeria with a total of 22 (67%) out of 33 valid responses gathered. The findings further revealed that citizen journalism is curbing the unethical practice of corruption in Nigeria with a total of 25(75%) responses. Most journalists surveyed gave the reason that citizen journalism exposes the other side of stories. The study argued that citizen journalism has done more good than harm in the media sector and has impacted positively on the mainstream media. This impact has gone beyond news gathering and dissemination to solving the unethical issue of brown envelope journalism in Nigeria. The study recommends that traditional journalists should not view citizen journalists as a threat to the profession rather, they should partner with them to improve the profession. It also recommends that media regulatory bodies should accelerate efforts towards ensuring strict adherence to ethics in pursuit of professionalism.