The Price of Truth: Corruption and Norms of Journalism in Nigeria

Abstract

The media are the primary source of information in a democracy. Accurate and reliable information is the lifeblood of the democratic process. Perhaps, the most obvious players in this information flow are journalists who gain access to privilege information and attempt to provide such information as accurately as possible to the citizens to make informed and intelligent decisions. At the minimum, media audiences demand information unencumbered by deliberate falsehood or distortion of the truth. When this expectation is not forthcoming, a crisis of confidence occurs between the news media institutions and the public. This paper attempts to show that truth is undoubtedly the most fundamental norm in journalism. Truth in journalism does not only win public confidence, but also bring about well-informed citizens, more profit for the news organization, good returns to its shareholders and growth of the news media organization as a whole.

Keywords: Nigeria, Truth, Corruption, Ethical Journalism, Competitive Advantage