SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY THEORY: A ROADMAP RESPONSIBLE JOURNALISM IN NIGERA

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between social responsibility theory and responsible journalism among media professionals in Nigeria. This paper adopted thedesk research method otherwise known as library research method. This method allows for easy use of secondary data that can be gotten from journals, books, newspapers, magazine, Internet etc. and employed for discussing issue at stake by researchers.This paper has established that Nigerian journalists are not aware of the tenets of the theories guiding their professional practice. Also, prot orientation and ownership factor contributed to the dearth of adherence to the socially responsible role and development functions of the Nigerian journalists. Unfortunately, the journalists do not attach much importance to the understanding of the tenets of press theories, although knowledge of the theories is one of the core values in professional journalism. Arising from this standpoint, the paper concluded that the media have been too hamstrung to fully equip the people with the right information to assess the performances of the leaders, and to make informed decisions in the participatory quest for nation-building. The paper recommended that social responsibility should be seen by governments and other stakeholders as a duty to a journalist's conscience and a primary basis for the right of free expression without coercion or subterfuge to cow the media.