SECTOR 4 Lack of follow-up One panellist said journalists are frequently tossed about by the fast-changing news cycle and end up leaving the public in suspense. ‘Sometimes you are following a story and suddenly it trails off with nothing more,’ said one panellist. ‘Journalists owe the public responsibility for follow-up.’ Social media influence Panellists said social media appears to put pressure on journalists to report faster than is required to get a fair and accurate story. ‘We are churning out halfbaked stories in the name of speed’, said one panellist. ‘Sometimes, you are in a hurry to break the news, but the news ends up breaking you.’ Limited regulation of the online space means that journalists are forced to compete with content producers with no duties, responsibilities and ethical constraints. Low pay and capacity According to panellists, low professional standards in the media come down to two things, low pay and low capacities. ‘Truth can become a casualty of capacity issues,’ said one panellist, who added: What we see are manifestations of some capacity issues such as capitalisation and lack of training in newsgathering. Journalists lack the means to undertake [proper] newsgathering and it is very difficult to work when you don’t have what you need. And, if you do not pay your reporters, someone else will pay them. Most journalists covering the National Assembly, for example, are not covering legislation but covering up [wrongdoing by] legislators. Notable exceptions A few journalists and media organisations seek to uphold professional standards and take remedial steps when they falter. A panellist cited the example of Premium Times, which had recently issued an apology and sacked a journalist after they got a story wrong. Still referring to Premium Times, one reporter said some journalists have taken ‘enormous’ risks to go undercover to report alleged human trafficking and ritual killings. Scores: Individual scores: 1 Country does not meet indicator 2 Country meets only a few aspects of indicator 3 Country meets some aspects of indicator 4 Country meets most aspects of indicator 5 Country meets all aspects of the indicator Average score: Score of previous years: 46 AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER NIGERIA 2019 ✓ ✓✓✓ ✓ ✓✓✓✓✓ 2.9 2008: 2.8; 2011: 2.4; 2015: 2.9 ✓