Ethical Issues in Government Communication in Rivers State: A Relationship Model among Netizens

This study examined the ethical challenges surrounding government communication with netizens, aiming to create a model for building relationships among adults in Rivers State, Nigeria. With the rise of social media, government institutions have shifted from merely broadcasting messages to engaging in a two-way conversation where citizens actively assess what the government communicates. However, this shift brings along issues like transparency, accountability, misinformation, responsiveness, and ethical standards, all of which can undermine public trust and the relationship between the government and its citizens. The research utilised a qualitative approach, gathering data through semi-structured interviews and Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) with a carefully chosen group of adult social media users, media professionals, academics, civil society members, and community leaders in Rivers State. The analysis was conducted using thematic methods. The results highlighted that ethical communication from the government plays a crucial role in fostering public trust, credibility, citizen engagement, and the overall quality of relationships. Participants pointed out that key ethical principles such as honesty, transparency, accountability, responsiveness, and fairness are vital for effective government communication. On the flip side, practices like selective information sharing, political propaganda, slow responses to citizen inquiries, and poor engagement on social media were seen as detrimental to government-citizen relationships and public confidence. The study also found that social media has become a crucial space for democratic dialogue, urging governments to embrace ethical, participatory, and citizen-focused communication strategies. Based on these insights, the study suggests a relationship-building model grounded in ethical communication, dialogue, transparency, responsiveness, and mutual trust. It concludes that sticking to ethical communication principles is key to nurturing sustainable relationships between the government and its citizens.