| Abstract: |
The prolonged military dictatorship in Nigeria exacted terrible tolls on the Nigerian press. Among the tolls is corruption in the media..Rather than cherish and crusade for public interests, probity, fairness and justice according to their charge under section 22 of the 1999 constitution as amended, the Nigerian press of the Fourth Republic has compromised. This paper analyses this trend in journalism practice where the Nigerian press engage in deification communication. This is a practice whereby the press, in order to partake of public resources, attribute the qualities and virtues of God to persons who are in government.. Being so deified, public office holders in the country exercise no restraint in indiscriminate bribing of individual journalists and respective publications. Deification communication isolates and chokes persons with different opinions. This frustrates such persons into violence, especially children and youths. Violence through secret cultism is one of such other means of expression. This explains why cultism has become popular among Nigerian children and youths. In order to reverse the ugly tend, there is urgent need for concerted efforts to end corruption in the media and check deification communication. |
