The Role of Mass Media in Rural Information System in Nigeria

Abstract

The article examined rural reporting in Nigeria and discovered that the only thing that constitute news for reporters in the country is only when a strange thing negative happens in the rural areas. For example, when there is ritual sacrifi ce, community clashes, rape, murder, etc.. The press hardly reports any good news about the rural communities in Nigeria. For example, when there is peace, harmony and self-efforts at rural development undertaken by the initiative of the rural community leaders, it is hardly given attention by the press reporters in Nigeria. Consequently, rural poverty continues to increase unabated but the Nigerian press reporters could not effectively expose the deplorable conditions under which the rural dwellers live in. The bias of the reporters is in favour of the urban dwellers who are adjudged to be learned, enlightened and understand the meaning and importance of news. The reporters argue that if the news reported upon is not essentially urban oriented, the patronage especially in the print-media would be very low. The study concluded by observing that the trend should be reversed immediately. In fact the news reporters in Nigeria should show more patriotism in the coverage of events in the rural areas. This is the only way government could know and understand the plights of the rural dwellers for effective public policy-making to reduce the present level of rural poverty and reverse the current rise in rural-urban migration in the country.

Key words: Rural information; Mass media; Nigeria