CHAPTER ONE

                                    INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the study

Prior to early 1970s Nigeria was one of the poorest countries in the world depending mostly on agriculture exports. But due to the oil Broom (1975 – 74) Nigeria became a major oil producer and enjoyed a boost in the economy when the oil market sneezed, the Nigeria economy caught pneumonia. The volume of oil output fell 2.3 million barrels per day in 1970 / 80 to 1.1117 in 1986. Therefore total oil earnings fell from about 126million in 1980 to 87.37 billion in 1985.

Since the structure of the economy was neither sufficiently diversified nor flexible enough to absorb the shock, government had to embark on measures to certain the situation solution (1995). One of them was the structural adjustment programme SAP introduced by Ibrahim Babanginda military administration in 1986.

The Hamza Zay Yad’s technical committee on privatization and commercialization (TCPC) was set up to find out ways to sustain the media.

The outcome of the committee was recommendation of various ways make money to pay salaries procure and service the dilapidated equipment amount other things.

Therefore a good journalist is expected to cross check all information and where in doubt forego the publication of the story. But who can a journalist perform this task judiciously when the money to maintain codes of professional ethics. There are also legal constraints guiding the operation of the mass media. The media practitioner has to contend to with all these issue of the same time attract money for the organization. A look into the reason for establishing the FRCN shows that profit motive is not the major reasons for establishing the media.

In fact, one the major reasons for flooding FRCN is to serve the public and provide them access to the mass media.

How can the media guarantee good service to the public is field to money?

Hence news values but on the basis of how much one can pay. Surely, implication of commercializing news in FRCN has far – reacting consequence, its effect on the station credibility and demoralization is catastrophic.

The public right to know of event of public importance and interest through not deemed but where paid stories are given more attention thereby reducing the number of stories of public interest in the bulletin is worrisome.

Commercialization of news in FRCN tends to compromise the integrity of the editors as it molates the code conduct of journalist, tends to compromise the integrity of the editors as a molates the code

In fact the ethical implication of news commercialization in the station are enormous.