Ethical Issues in Development Communication

Abstract

ABSRACT This paper reviewed ethical issues in the development communication in Nigeria. The media being portrayed as societal agents of dissemination of information by which people shape their opinions, ideals and expected to operate within the purvey of its ethical code have been criticized for falling below societal expectation that Johnson (1997) termed as “the seven deadly sins of the media” .This paper is motivated by the need to correct these ethical anomalies. The study was descriptive, made use of content analysis and data sourced from the secondary sources. The study found that the Nigerian media is corrupt and noticeable diverse unethical conducts among the professionals was observed. The study concludes that the media have a moral duty and awesome responsibilities in spite of the various legal restraints to serve as societal agents of positive change and social realities. It recommends the use of moral reasoning and principles of duty as the guideposts upon which ethical and worthwhile practice of the media revolves. It solicits for the unalloyed cooperation and strong relationship among the stake holders in the media business – Government, Proprietors, Society and a host of others. Media organisations should strive to implement policies that present moral and ethical values as part of their corporate culture.