Opinion of Practicing Journalists in Port Harcourt on the Effects of Private Ownership of Media on News Reportage in Nigeria

This study evaluates the opinions of practicing journalists in Port Harcourt on the effects of private ownership of media on news reportage in Nigeria. In conducting the study, four research questions and three hypotheses were raised to guide the research. Gramsci’s theory of Hegemony and the Authoritarian theory provided theoretical support from the major variables in the study. A cross-sectional quantitative study design was adopted for this study. This design was deem fit for the study because it allowed the researchers to collect data from multiple individuals at a single point in time. The population of this study was 204 journalists in private media outlets in Rivers State, from where a sample size 135 utilized. After the analysis, the results showed that bribery and corruption were seen to significantly affect the opinion of journalists in private owned media outfits because of their vulnerability to these vices due to irregularity and inconsistency in remuneration by their proprietors. More so, findings revealed that the overbearing influence and control of the owners dictates that the opinion of these journalists which are further influenced by the religious sentiments of the proprietor(s) and goes to show that there is a significant effect of religious sentiments on the opinion of practicing journalists in Port Harcourt on news reportage. Finally, it was found that most of these privately owned media outfits are opened for the advancement of the political and economic interests of their owners which in turn influences the opinion of the journalists. Based on this findings, it was recommended that that private media entrepreneurs should endeavor to pay the salaries of their journalists regularly and provide other incentives and amenities always. Again, that media owners should limit their involvement and overbearing influence the newsroom and allow for the editorial board to perform its basic functions in line with the ethics and codes of the profession.