Professor Umaru A. Pate, a communication scholar, once said, “In discharging their social responsibility, the press tries to remain vital in regulating social relations and ensuring that those in power did not misuse the power to the detriment of other individuals in the society”.
The media has a crucial role to play in a democracy to enhance socio – economic and political participation and development. Press theory and democratic theory (McQuail, 2005) both acknowledge the functional role of the pres in democracy.
The press enhances governance through the provision and dissemination of local, national and international information to help the citizens build their knowledge base to constitute a viable sphere of political and social discourse.
The media is essential in the development of nations and it remains the strongest safeguard against the dark side of power.
The Nigerian constitution is clear on its assigned responsibility to the media to keep the government accountable to the people. It is suffice to say that with accountability there will be transparent application of public resources and protection of sanctity of human rights of the people.
The media as the Fourth Estate of realm is a watchdog that checks or uncovers the corruption and wrong – doing of the executive, legislature and judiciary. It is an expensive process, the vanguard of nationalism and the champions of democracy.
It provides the early warning signals for authority to take proactive measures. The press generates a best way forward on resolving and reducing the flooding of crises using the Agenda-Setting Theory.
The press working as a watchdog has been one of the fundamental components of a democratic society. The watchdog of the press is the “stories implicitly demand the response of public officials. Playing a role as a Fourth Estate, the journalism is able to allow and force governments at different levels to meet their obligations to the public by publicizing several issues such as a scandal, corruption, and failure to address needs of the citizens.
Despite the fact that the nature of media news coverage in Nigeria is episodic and the mass media are noted for their usual high incidence of news turn-overs without appropriate fellow-up and investigative journalism that could assist government and policy makers to get to the roots of many issues – the media provides the surveillance of the socio – political issues and events as well as platforms for intelligible advocacy by politicians, spokesmen and other forces of interest.
The press serves a watchdog function of the society. Watchdog here means to make sure of accountability, transparency, good governance and rule of law. The press is therefore, a watchdog no watched dog!
Muazu is a Freelance Journalist from Kano. He can be reached via [email protected]
