Analysis of Journalists’ Views on Funding and Newspaper Survival in Nigeria

Abstract

This study analysed journalists’ views on newspaper funding and survival in Nigeria. The study adopted survey research design to obtain data in this study. The population of the study was 1478 comprising 516 active NUJ members in the FCT and 962 members from Lagos. The sample size of 169 was determined using Taro Yamene’s (1967) sample size determination published table (cited in Kusugh, 2017). To sample respondents in this study, multi stage sampling procedure was used. Structured and Semi Structured interviews were used as instruments for data collection by the researcher in the two cities. The research instruments were face and content validated by the three experts, one from the Department of Mass Communication and two statisticians in the Faculty of Statistics, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, to ensure that it measured the appropriate data. The reliability of the instrument was ensured and the result showed a Cronbach’s alpha value of 0.786, suggesting that the items have relatively high internal consistency. Data were collected with the help of NUJ leadership in Abuja and Lagos State Councils as well as Research Assistants at the Benue Liaison Offices in the two cities. The data collected were analysed using descriptive statistics and the Pearson Product-Movement Correlation Coefficient was employed to test the null hypothesis in this study. The findings from the research are thus: journalists believe that funding is important to determine newspaper survival. They also feel that traditional funding sources should be encouraged to fill the funding gaps. Another finding is that some unconventional sources of funding such as “Total newspapering,” commercialisation of news, etc harm newspapers in Nigeria. Based on the findings, the following recommendations were made: that Nigerian newspapers should be more creative in their multidimensional approach to funding through traditional and non-traditional ways; that newspaper owners should strengthen and reposition NPAN in attaining collective goals (tax relief, subsidy on printing materials, etc); that Nigerian banks should give newspaper organisations cheaper, long term loans to enable them serve the public well.