THE MASS MEDIA AND POVERTY ALLEVIATION: THE NIGERIAN EXPERIENCE
Abstract
This paper is intended to expand the significant role of the mass media on poverty alleviation in Nigeria, the significance of media is more easily recognized than defined. This is the prevailing situation in many developing countries in Asia, Latin America and Africa, were about 75 per cent of its population, are women, youths and children living in both urban and rural areas live without the basic necessities of life. The excuse for the increase of poverty in these societies has been tagged the acronym “irresponsible governance” this is an off shoot of inconsistent economic policies. In other words the paper tries to bring to light the relationship between the mass media, governance and poverty. Using the content analysis method to put information together. The gathered information revealed that the press has not performed creditably well in the coverage of poverty related issues in Nigeria. It also showed that rural communities were not only neglected in news reports but the rural news was found to be lacking in development contents. The paper reasoned that national or regional mass media have been found to be unable to cater for the development information needs of Nigeria‟s sharply divergent urban-rural populace and therefore the need for a more rural oriented dissemination of information.
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