LEGAL AND ETHICAL PERSPECTIVES TO JOURNALISM PRACTICE IN NIGERIA: ISSUES AND CHALLENGES

The agitation for marginalization among some ethnic and to some extent, religious groups in Nigeria has become a common trend in recent times. These agitations have taken the dimension of majority-minority divides depending on who is in power. The media is largely to blame for this divide because of the manner in which law and ethics of media practice have been negated in reporting issues of national interest. The paper through both doctrinal and empirical research analyses the imperative of strict adherence to law and ethics of journalism as well as their enforcement in order to foster national peace and unity. The paper finds that poor training and lack of enforcement of relevant laws and ethics of the professional are responsible for the proliferation of fake news and other unprofessional conducts that are threatening the peace and unity of Nigeria. It is therefore, recommended that there is the need for regulatory agencies in the media, such as the Nigeria Press Council and the Nigeria Broadcasting Commission to be alive to their responsibilities by sanctioning individual journalists and media houses and that have exhibited the habit of contravening the laws guiding the profession.