Mass Media and the Search for Transitional Justice in Nigeria

Abstract

The concept “transitional justice” describes a policy that corrects past wrongs of a country by identifying and punishing perpetrators of the wrongs. Transitional justice systems have enabled many countries of the world to effectively deal with national challenging issues similar to those of Nigeria such as corruption, injustice, bad governance, human rights abuse, internal conflicts (ethnic, religious, communal, sectional in nature, etc), intolerance, and dysfunctional multiculturalism. There is the urgent need for a system of transitional justice in Nigeria to assist address the above challenges and more that stand in the way of the country’s development. The mass media, as a social institution expected to contribute to the smooth running of the society, have a crucial role to play in the establishment and sustenance of a system of transitional justice in Nigeria. This article articulates a realistic role for the mass media in this regard. This role is in the form of advocacy journalism, agenda setting, community broadcasting and the effective use of new media. The articulation takes into cognizance the hostile operational environment and challenges confronting mass media practice in Nigeria, and suggests that for the mass media institution to effectively discharge this role, it has to distance itself from unprofessionalism and unethical practices, train and retrain journalists for this task, and imbibe the culture of investigative journalism and democratic approaches to mass media operation.