SECTOR 4 4.1 The standard of reporting follows the basic principles of accuracy and fairness Nigeria is considered to have one of the most vibrant journalism industries in Africa, producing a growing number of award-winning journalists over the past decades. Yet, panellists found more problems than praiseworthy experiences with Nigerian journalism – from the inaccuracy of news reporting to the lack of fair analyses and commentary. Accuracy Panellists said journalists routinely get basic facts wrong, including names and numbers, as a result of sloppy newsgathering. In their reporting of the conflicts and tensions in the north and south-east of the country, panellists said reported facts usually vary across journalists, media houses and official accounts, leaving the public more confused than informed. As a fairly standard practice, the discussions revealed that the private press has a tendency to blow certain stories out of proportion, while the government-funded press plays down those stories that are likely to embarrass the authorities. One panellist said: News reports are sometimes incomplete. Journalists lack the patience to verify and rely on social media to source information. NTA journalists usually tread with caution and worry more about the political and social fallouts of their stories than truth and accuracy. Sensationalism is a common practice, with daily headlines that are misleading, ‘creating tensions and sending the wrong signal’. In the assessment of some panellists, the print media make a better attempt to be accurate than the audio-visual and online media and routinely publish corrections and retractions. One panellist cautioned that ‘broadcast news content must be taken with a pinch of salt’. Multiple factors account for the low levels of accurate reporting. Primarily, journalists lack the capacity to investigate or even the means to verify information. ‘Most media organisations and journalism work are poorly funded,’ said one panellist. ‘Akwa Ibom state, for example, has scores of local titles, but some are only able to publish twice a year and depend on politicians for a break.’ Fairness A panellist said, ‘Faced with poor resources and tight deadlines, journalists are frequently forced to run with single-source reports that tell only part of the story.’ In other cases, newsrooms have poorly veiled political, ethnic and religious biases that are visible through their reporting and commentaries. Even when they speak to all sides, ‘journalists select only soundbites that support a certain narrative or discredits certain viewpoints,’ said one panellist. To eliminate certain viewpoints, panellists said some broadcasters have blacklisted pundits with whom the media houses do not share similar values. 45 AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER NIGERIA 2019