Sustainable Journalism in Nigeria: An Integrated Approach to National Development

Abstract

The type of information that a society receives and is capable of applying, determines its long-term progress along social equality, environmental and economic growth. Journalism in Nigeria is faced with a two-pronged sustainable crisis which are stem from societal sustainability crises (e.g. climate crises, policy actualisation crises, financial meltdowns, terrorism, community and armed conflicts) and journalistic sustainability crises (e.g. poor operational policies, censorship, reduced marketing/advertising in the face of new media, misinformation and fake news, unemployment, and fierce competition from online information sources).The purpose of this study was to examine the three pillars of sustainable development vis-a-vis the role journalism can play within the myriads of problems in Nigeria. Hinged on the sustainable development model, the paper employed a qualitative methodology to x-ray the sustainability crises presently plaguing the nation which ultimately stands as a threat to journalism. Materials were sourced from across academic journals, articles, books, conference proceedings and online compilations. Findings show that these internal and external sustainability gaps are intertwined, interdependent and need to be reconciled for a holistic national development. The study thus recommends that scholars, journalists and the international community should become interested in not just the business crisis of the media industry but also continue to sensitise the media on the social and environmental dimensions through which journalism could contribute to sustainable development.