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Africa Media Review. Vol. 3 No. 1. 1988© African Council on Communication Education

Objectivity, Sycophancy and theMedia Reality in Nigeria

Olnmuyixva Ayodele

ABSTRACT

Against the backdrop of the familiar yet peculiar Africanpolitical scene, where, from country to country, militarydictatorships struggle (without real success), at wearingsmiling faces; or where democracies strap of such full armouras to brook no opposition, this article discusses objectivity Inthe media.

Objectivity is the state or quality of not being influencedby personal bias, prejudice, feelings and opinions. Objectivenews-reporting Is that which is devoid of inferences.Judgement and slanting. Yet modern journalism is notaltogether a professional practice in which the operatorsbecome, simply, automatons - unthinking, unfeeling and

Olumuyiwa Ayodele is a Senior Lecturer at the School ofApplied Arts and Sciences, The Federal Polytechnic, Bida,Nigeria.

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without emotion. Objectivity is thus a relative term - relativeto the system that exists.

The position adopted by this article is that objectivity innews presentation is not a myth, nor a mere philosophicalabstraction, but an attainable media goal which thejournalist must strive for, even in the face of opposingrealities.

Six factors which the journalist and the media mustgrapple with, if objectivity is to be meaningful and aworthwhile journalistic pursuit, are presented.

Objectivite, Flagomerie et la Realitedes Medias au Nigeria

RESUME

Contrairement a le toile de fond de la scene politiqueAfricaine familiere mais singuliere ou d'un pays a l'autre lesdictatures militaires luttent (sans grand succes) pour avoir unvisage souriant; ou bien ou les democraties entretiennenttoute une armee pour ne pas souffrir d'opposition, cette articleparle de l'objectivite dans les media.

L'objectivite est un etat ou une qualite ou on n'est pasinfluence par un point de vue personnel, un prejuge, dessentiments et des opinions. Un reportage objectif c'est celuiqui, evite les deductions, le jugement, la partialite. Bien sur lejournalisme moderne n'est pas entierement une pratiqueprofessionnelle ou les operateurs deviennent tout sinplementdes automates, incapables de penser, sentir et sans emotion.L'objectivite est alors un terme relatif.

La position adoptee dans cet article c'est que l'objectivitedans la presentation des nouvelles n'est pas un mythe, ni unesimple abstraction philosophique, mais un but de media quipeut etre atteint et pour lequel le jounaliste doit lutter m6meen face des realities opposantes.

Les six facteurs auxquels le jouranliste et les mediasdoivent s'attaquer, pourque l'objectivite ait un sens et soitdigne d'etre poursuivi sur le plan joumalistique, y sontpresentes.

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Introduction

Objectivity in the collating and presenting of news is thegoal of the reporter, and a major principle of Journalism. Inspite of the fierce competition among newspapers, newsmagazines, radio, television, or wire services, in regard towho gets a story first and is fastest in making such news itemspublic property, objectivity in the disseminating of news isacknowledged as a significant hallmark of modernJournalistic practice.

It must be recognized that since the dawn of media history,there have been two opposing currents of thought concerningmedia objectivity - on whether objectivity is good or bad, andwhether it is even possible.

The first claim (and a strong one) is that objectivity innews reporting is a myth, and theoretically speaking, a mereabstraction. In absolute terms, objectivity is said to beunattainable since it does not really exist. The proposition isstretched further to indicate that what is impossible, what isnon-existent, need not be attempted because such attemptsInevitably would prove unnecessary, unrealistic, as well asfutile.

From the philosophical premise of such logic,subjectivlzation of news content, or subjectivity in newsreporting (which in the literature is often called"Interpretative journalism") would appear the only sensible,and realistic position or attitude open to the journalist.

The second, and no less popular school of thought indicatesthat objectivity in news reporting is a definitely attainablegoal, but that one must strive for it even in the face ofopposing realities. Adherents of attainable objectivity in themedia claim that the reporter need not shy away from hisprejudices, pre-conceptions, feelings and ambitions. Heneed not pretend to be an automaton - unthinking,unfeeling, unemotional; "saying it as it is", with bland facts

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and figures, and no analyzing nor interpreting. Rather, thejournalist is to struggle to place under leash his biases.

From this stand-point come arguments that sincesubjectivity is to be avoided, and since absolute objectivitymight not be possible except as a target, the mediaprofessional can go a long way to being objective by sticking,as much as possible, to what Severin & Tankard (1979:63)have explained as "verifiable statements" (reports). Thisinvolves the excluding of inferences, judgement and slantyreporting.

The weekly news magazine (such as Nigeria's 'Newswatch','This Week, 'African Guardfan)unlike the daily newspapers, isa comparatively recent development in the media world ofsurveying the environment; of correlating the various parts ofsociety in regard to the environment; of transmitting thesocial heritage from one to the other generation; and ofentertaining the various groups that form the society.

By its nature, style, content, goal and production process,the weekly news-feature magazine will have problems withclearly defining objectivity. Facts, the classic statement says,are sacred and comment free. And the law and canons ofjournalism recognize and allow for 'fair comment1, by themedia, on persons or issues affecting society. But the questionis how to quantify fairness, and from whose point of view?

It is hardly a wonder that in an attempt to circumvent theintricate problem of not being objective enough or ofbecoming unduly subjective, some media professionals haveadvocated a seemingly new kind of Journalism.

From Alan Casty (1973:193) are presented a sampler.They form a part of Theodore Peterson's paper on socialresponsibility:

(i) the newspaper should ignore the trivialities of thepenny press and the political bondage of the partisanpress.

(ii) the newspaper should not be politically neutral butneither should it owe allegiance to any politicalparty of faction. Rather, it should furnish politicalleadership by setting the public good above duty toparty.

(iii) in 1904, Joseph Pulitzer in defending his proposalfor the acquisition of academic sanctity, appealed

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also to journalists to place public duty above duty tofhe counting-room.

These, according to Peterson, are traces of a growing sense ofsocial responsibility and an acknowledgement that thenewspaper and indeed any media, had some duty to the public.

What Then is Objectivity?

Most dictionaries say that it is a state or quality of beinguninfluenced by personal bias, personal prejudice, feelings, oropinion.

Objective news is therefore news that is undistorted bypersonal prejudice. It is news that is fair, accurate, andfactual. Nevertheless, it is not news that has been gatheredand presented by an unthinking, unfeeling professional.

Objective news is devoid of inference, judgement, andslanting (Severin & Tankard 1979:65).

The journalist is a product of society. The African societywith its various facets - traditions, beliefs, images, goals,constraints etc - must inevitably influence, and be influencedupon by the journalist. He helps to shape the size anddirection of what is communicated to the different publics ofthe media. They in turn set his own agenda; what he selects tocommunicate.

This dual yet interactive role has its implications for theconstant barrage of charges of bias, prejudice, partisanship,untruth and especially sycophancy leveled against the mediaand its staff.

Let us elucidate one of the gravest of the many charges:

Sycophancy

Babatunde Jose and the Daily Times of Nigeria are like thetwo sides of one coin. Jose who spanned over 30 years in themedia, rose from being a cub-reporter to editor and, later, theManaging Director of the Daily Times. He claims that mostmedia establishments in Africa have petered into slavish andvirtually sycophantic mega-phones of the government or ofthe party in control.

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Sycophancy is a rather strong and derogatory concept.When mentioned, it immediately conjures grotesque imagesand mental associations of negative social attitudes anddeviant behaviour. Sycophancy is inevitable in any societywhere powerful and lasting bonds of group unity and cohesionare grossly lacking.

There are always sycophants in the midst: media men andwomen who, having abdicated their sacred duty, oath andtrust, play up to the gallery; journalists whose actions andattitudes appear or actually are sniveling and groveling.

Objectivity in news presentation, however muchdesirable, cannot thrive in climates peopled by suchcharacters. But they exist because the society made them so,having forced them into its mould. The people get the mediait deserves' becomes appropriate here.

Sycophancy has degree or level. It also has magnitude,direction and effect. Sycophancy thrives mainly where theunbridled wielding of political, social or economic power andauthority by only a few, over the large majority, is strong,perpetual, and seemingly unchallengeable. Such situations,over time, provide quiet breeding grounds for violent politicalrevolutions. The media in such geographical entities morelikely are organs of the ruling class. Press subjugation willnot be uncommon.

Judged from a Western technological stand-point mostAfrican countries in spite of decades of genuine attempts atsocial changes, still have very high levels of illiteracy, and anequally high degree of ignorance and superstition. Often thesethree factors (and others) thrive side by side with abjectpoverty, disease and squalor. Attempts at democraticgovernance, or variants of it, have almost always failed. Thefailure has often resulted in varying forms of dictatorship:from the benign (on the one extreme of the continuum) to theintolerably totalitarian (at the other end).

In political climates of this nature, media sycophancybecomes no less a dominant factor of journalistic endeavourthan the type and posture adopted by the body in power. Thus,the degree of subjectivity of media processes and products willprobably be in direct proportion to the level of mediasycophancy that exists.

The media are clearly recognized as having four majorfunctions. The surveillance of the environment as well as the

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analyzing and interpreting events in the environment forman important part. The degree to which the journalistexhibits sycophantic tendencies or actually plays thesycophant in his surveillance, analytic, and interpretativeroles, is determined to a large extent by what type ofconstraints, bias, prejudice or personal opinions he has.Therefore, the journalist is objective only to the extent towhich he is not unduly Influenced by personal bias, prejudiceor other extraneous constraints.

Personal bias and constraints could stem from one or acombination of factors. We shall now consider a few of themajor ones and endeavour to relate them mainly to theAfrican reality.

1. political non-neutrality2. financial and job Insecurity3. the Journalist's cosmology4. prevailing social prejudice5. idiosyncrasy

The journalist In Nigeria, as in any African nation, doesnot operate in a social or political vacuum. He, as a part of thepluralistic group, internalizes its norms and mores, andinteracts with other members on various levels and indifferent dimensions. One of the bones of effectiveJournalistic practice is for the professional or his media notmerely to have political leanings, but to be subtly or grosslyinfluenced by party politics. Professionally, it is ideal thatthe Journalists be politically neutral (i.e. politically non-partisan), so that his basic function of fact finding and thegiving of facts is not compromised.

Unfortunately, however, party politics in Nigeria, as inmost African states, is yet to be based on soundly politicalideological considerations devoid of ethnic chauvinism. Alltoo often, factors based on monetary gratifications andcultural and religious sentiments, govern the establishmentof political parties; control the policies and dynamics of theparties; and the determination of acceptable partymembership.

The Nigerian journalist is a part of this rather complexsocial set up, being perhaps more influenced by it, than heinfluences or can influence it.

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Experience in fact indicates that there are manyNigerian journalists who play the sycophant in one form oranother. Professionally we make loud claims to beingpolitically non-partisan, but the reality is far from the claims.

Apart from the danger, to the ethics of journalism, of theprofessional courting party politics and therefore becomingno longer professionally objective, sycophancy couldemanate from another source: The journalist may have aharassing sense of financial and job insecurity.

All news activities are based on policy no doubt. And inmost media, policy exists as written or unwritten laws, andthese differ (though not markedly) from one mediaestablishment to the other.

All who will remain, progress, or receive commendation,in one form or another, in the media they work, mustthoroughly understand the style-book and general guidelineson how events are not only to be reported, but are to beinterpreted and analysed. Becker and Lee (1979:78) haveobserved:

If certain kinds of stories are edited heavily, cut inlength, or simply not run, the reporter learns thatsome policy probably exists regarding those stories.Conversely, reporters receive positive feedback in theform of prominent displays of stories and favourablecomments. This positive feedback serves as thereward for following policy.

According to the authors, reporters and editors haveseveral reasons why even against their conscience, theyfollow the policy of their media establishments. The first andmost obvious is the fear of actual dismissal. Lack ofpromotion or actual demotion are lesser fears but areimportant too. Thus, professionals toe their media linebecause they aspire to higher positions.

There are far more government-owned media in Nigeriathan there are privately-owned. A journalist having to workfor the private media whose ownership and control beardistinct association with policies or ideologies of a rulingmilitary junta, or of a controlling political party ingovernment, may be forced against his better judgement to

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There is yet another dimension to this picture aboutmedia ownership and control on account of which thejournalist is farther from the ideal. v

Frequently, the journalist in Nigeria slants his news andplays up (or plays down) reported events, because he isunwilling to offend or hurt those who sustain, as it were, thelife blood of his media. Newspapers, more than any othermedia, rely greatly on the patronage of advertisers. Theinference is that those advertising patrons must not beoffended.

A third reason for which the professionals in many ofAfrica's print and broadcast media are often charged oraccused of bias, stems from the journalist's cosmology. Hisperception of events around him unintentionally (or evendeliberately) could be coloured by some prevailing socialprejudices. The pressman, il even lor journalistically ethicalreasons, distances himself from the society in which he isallowed to operate, cannot be expected to function in a socialvacuum. He cannot but Imbibe its norms and internalize itsculture at least to some extent. How far the extent Is a mootpoint. But to absolutely obtain or ferret information is tobecome, with time, a social misfit. If he is a misfit in theculture, he is likely to be distrusted and daubed a snub even Ifrevered for his pen and the power of his pen.

There is a rather strong religious prejudice in the Nigeriansociety today. The prevailing disquieting religiousatmosphere is not unconnected with the raising by adellberateness of action of religion to a lofty nationalpedestal. While the federal government constantly says thatno state religion will be imposed on Nigerians, the naggingworry has appeared to be based on the many commonevidence (in the newspapers, magazines; on the televisionand radio) that show religion as not being de-emphasized tomake Nigeria a truly secular state. The other side of theargument is equally strong. It goes like this: since religion isa dominant factor of life for most Nigerians. It shoulddeliberately and thoroughly be encouraged, except that nostate religion shall be adopted or Imposed on the country. If Itis to remain, as it ought to. a truly secular state.

It is the second argument above that forms the basis of theinitial statement that religion has unwittingly been raised torather lofty national heights. For this reason, many

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journalists In Nigeria have looked at many aspects of theNigerian reality from the coloured lenses of the prevalentreligious prejudices.

Idiosyncrasies

Apart from the effect, on journalistic practices, ofprevailing social prejudices, a lack of objectivity inpresenting news may arise from the journalist's personalidiosyncrasies, personality, and aspirations.

Every person has a personal world-view and one or morepeculiarities. The media professional Is no exception. He mayremain motivated by apparently fortunate circumstances andevents, to reach for lofty Journalistic heights. He might, onthe contrary, be goaded on in his work, out of the nagging fearof possible failure as a press-man. The desire to protect orproject his personality may become a strong ambition. Thesethree extricably linked personal factors may, and oftenunintentionally do, Influence his degree of objectivity in thegathering and presenting of news.

Objectivity and Media typology

Objectivity in the media is relative to the type of mediasystem obtaining in any particular country.

The classic often-quoted Siebert-Peterson-Schrammtheory or typology of media systems describes four types.Each type has its organ of control and programme policy.Control has to do with media ownership, financing, staffingand feedback mechanism. We shall quote copiously fromAlan Wens (1974:6).

The Libertarian type is said, by Western analysis, to havethe system with the most free press in the world. America,Britain and most Western countries operate the Libertarianmedia system. The principle of objectivity In news reporting,and freedom from restraints on programming, are Jealouslyguarded. But there are charges that biased journalism alsoobtains even among Libertarian Journalists. For example.itis common knowledge that a section of the British andAmerican media, respectively, became politically non-neutral and was instrumental in the re-election of MargaretThatcher (the British Prime Minister) and of Ronald Reagan

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(the American President). Thus the press is often used and isoften manipulated by pressure groups.

The Soviet Comrnunist media type obtains in the SovietRepublics. The press is financially dependent onorganizations that promote Soviet ideology. Media control isabsolutely by the Government - the Communist Party.Criticism of government policies or officials, by the press, isunthinkable because, the editor, himself a certified memberof the ruling part and management team, is especiallyconcerned that his publication or broadcast win acceptancefrom his peers or superiors. From the Western World's pointof view, there is no press-freedom in Russia and therefore itfollows that there can be no objectivity in news reportingthere.

The Social Responsibility media system is normallyfound in the Anglo-American countries. The press is usuallyunder the control of organizations responsible to the public.There is an over-riding emphasis, in the media programmes,on transmitting public information and issues of publicinterest. It should however be noted that the style ofprogramming (that upholds the principles of objectivity innews reporting) is seen as more important than control overthe media itself.

The Authoritarian press obtains mostly in developingand underdeveloped countries. Countries of Africa, Asia andsome in Latin America have Authoritarian Media.

Usually press-freedom in such a situation is an illusion.The media are private or public yet subordinate to the state.Programme censorship is a strong characteristic feature.Criticism of government policies is not particularly tolerated.

The Nigerian Experience

Nigeria is a developing nation, and at different times inher chequered history, has sustained presses that were partlyTotalitarian (Soviet-Communist type). Libertarian, SocialResponsibility type. Authoritarian.

In Nigeria, private and publicly-owned media thrive side-by-side. And there are varying degrees of 'privateness' and'publicness'. Objectivity in the media, is a relative term inNigeria because governments are ever changing, everalternating between the military and the civilian. Even the

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civilian governments have kept displaying shifting politicalbases. The Nigerian journalist is therefore objective in hispresenting of news only to the extent to which he is or hasbeen free of censorship (from State or National governments),free from media-owner control, free from personal biases.

Nigeria has 32 English-medium daily newspapers; 26weekly newspapers, in English; about 60 English-mediummagazines; 29 radio stations and 33 television stations.

The question of who owns and controls what media inwhat place and at what time therefore determines to a largeextent, the degree of objectivity of news reporting in Nigeria.

It is common knowledge that at one stage in the lifehistory of the owner and publisher of The Concordnewspapers. Chief Abiola was more than merely a staunchmember of the defunct ruling National Party of Nigeria (NPN).Concord having received the blessings of the ousted Shagarigovernment, was said to have been set up as a mouth-piece ofthe political party, and to counter the vitriolic vituperationsof all other opposing political parties (especially of the UnityParty of Nigeria-UPN). At another stage, when (shortly beforethe 1983 elections) Abiola withdrew from party politics, hisnewspaper, so to speak, changed gear. It claimed to havebecome politically neutral. So, we see the media, in the handsof very powerful, determined and talented persons, are easilymanlpulatable for good or ill, and as easily forced to cowerinto sycophantic roles.

Kalu (1984) made an empirical study of The Concordclaims by comparing the objectivity levels of the threeindependent newspapers in their coverage of the 1983Presidential elections. Empirically, The Concord, Incomparison with other Independent newspapers, appears tohave had a veneer of objectivity or political neutrality in itsnews coverage of the 1983 Presidential elections. Empiricallyhow objective The Concord is, during the present (Babangida)military era, will no doubt make an Interesting study. But arather casual study of news broadcasting and news publishedover television and radio networks, or in newspapers, today,gives one the impression that there Is no freedom to broadcastor publish, and what news is presented does not probe Issuesdeeply enough. The press is in a season of silence now. Thedrums look muffled and the media muzzled by no obviouslaws against them from the ruling government.

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Conclusion

For these reasons, Nigerian journalists are not objective.They dare not be objective because the present era is not ademocratic era. It is military. And a military government isan aberration although cynics also say that it is the civilianregimes in Nigeria that are aberrations.

The Nigerian media, purported to be the most free inAfrica, take their roots from the Nigerian society. TheNigerian society is and has always been a mixed grill - acomplex almost ungovernable conglomeration of peoplewith mutual yet exclusive social traits (religious, political,cultural prejudices and distinctiveness). Furthermore, thereare over 300 language groups, with a shocking disparitybetween the rich and the poor, and between the educated andthe illiterate. Job security and job satisfaction, for theworking majority, are uncertain. Graduate unemployment ishigh; jobs are scarce, and the economy is a shambles.

The Nigerian journalist is a part of all these complexities.Whether or not he works in a 'private' or 'public' media duringa civilian or military era, and whether or not the privatemedia-owner has political or religious leanings, and otherbiases, the journalist cannot isolate himself from society norwork in a vacuum. Therefore until the day comes when newsis presented by an unthinking, unfeeling, unemotionalautomat, there will be charges of bias. But it is unlikely thatthe day will ever come.

What the media need to do is to recognize their limitations onaccount of the realities and constraints they has to grapplewith. Then they should keep striving towards objectivitybecause it is not only attainable, it is the better choice open to thejournalist.

References

1. Ralph Akinfeleye Essentials oj Modern African Journalism(A Premier) (2nd Ed.) Miral Press, Lagos, Nigeria"(1987)

2. Becker and Lee, Using Mass Communication Theory,Perspective in Mass Communication, Prentice Hall,Englewood Cliffs, N.T. (1979).

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3. Alan Casty, (ed.) Mass Media and Mass Man (2nd Ed.)Holt, Rlnehart and Winston N.Y. (1973).

4. Johnson Kalu, "Coverage of The 1983 NigerianPresidential Election Campaigns by Three IndependentNewspapers (The National Concord, The Punch, TheGuardian)", M.A. Thesis. University of Ibadan (1984).

5. Theodore Peterson, "Social Responsibility: Theory andPractice" in Alan Casty, Mass Media and Mass Man (2nd ed.)Holt. Rlnehart and Winston.

6. W J Severin and James Tankard, Jr. CommunicationTheories (Origins, Methods, Uses) Hasting House, N.Y. 1979.

7. Alan Wells, (ed) Mass Communications (A World View),Mayfleld Publishing Co California. 1974 (3-8).

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