Assessment of peace journalism in the quest for harmony in Nigeria’s pluralistic society

Abstract

This work focused on the role peace journalism in achieving harmony in Nigeria’s pluralistic society. It looked at the disparate tendencies that have created and fostered strife and conflicts between the various components and groups in Nigeria, the role journalism has played in fuelling and sustaining the situation and what journalism can do to temper the smouldering situation and create a pathway for achieving and sustaining harmony among the various peoples; for the sake of peace and development. The work was hinged on the Social Responsibility Theory and employed the instrument of in-depth interview to gather data. It involved 32 participants drawn from the highest level of journalism practitioners, journalism teachers as well as civil society activists across the six geopolitical zones of the country, the Federal Capital Territory, and the Diaspora. Findings confirmed that a significant number of Nigerians, especially the ordinary folks, have their views, perspectives and notions shaped by the offerings of journalists. However, journalism practice follows the path of vested interests and primordial considerations. To that extent, it is not truly or sufficiently detached from such divisive factors; and this affects the way media products are selected and presented. The implication is that Peace journalism remains a challenging concept. Given the agenda-setting propensity of the media, there is therefore an urgent need for value reorientation, for journalists to adopt the Peace journalism approach as there is a high probability that it could help to build consensus, national unity as well as redirect attention towards growth and development.