Tuesday, April 30, 2019

THE ROLE OF THE MEDIA IN PROMOTING DEMOCRATIC GOVERNMENT IN NIGERIA


CHAPTER ONE
1.0              Introduction 
1.1       Background to the Study
Access to information is essential to the health of democracy for at least two reasons. First, it ensures that citizens make responsible, informed choices rather than acting out of ignorance or misinformation. Second, information serves a “checking function” by ensuring that elected representatives uphold their oaths of office and carry out the wishes of those who elected them.
In some societies, an antagonistic relationship between media and government represents a vital and healthy element of fully functioning democracies. In post-conflict or ethnically homogenous societies such a conflictual, tension-ridden relationship may not be appropriate, but the role of the press to disseminate information as a way of mediating between the state and all facets of civil society remains critical. Buckingham, (2000).