THE EFFECTS OF THE NEWS FLOW/IMBALANCE OF WORLD INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION ORDER ON DEVELOPING NATIONS OF AFRICA (A STUDY OF NIGERIAN NEWS FLOW)
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER ONE
1.0 INTRODUCTION 1
1.1 Background of the Study 1
1.2 Statement of the Problems 6
1.4 Significance of the Study 8
1.5 Research Questions 9
CHAPTER TWO
2.1 Sources of Literature 17
2.2 Review of Relevant Literature 17
2.3 Summary of Literature Review 41
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 45
3.1 Research Method 45
3.2 Research Design 46
3.3 Research Population 46
3.4 Research Sample Size 47
3.7 Method of Data Collection 49
3.8 Method of Data Analysis 49
3.9 Expected Results 50
CHAPTER FOUR
DATA ANALYSIS AND RESULT PRESENTATION 52
4.1 Data Analysis 52
4.2 Research Hypothesis Testing 57
4.3 Discussion of Findings 57
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS 61
5.1 Summary of Findings 61
5.2 Conclusion 62
5.3 Recommendations 63
Bibliography 66
Appendix 69
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
The world information flow controversy is perhaps the most topical issue in international communities today.
This global controversy is basically about the demand by the south for a change in the present pattern of information flow between it and the north. The south also knows that the third world or under developed or developing countries of the world contends that there is gross unbalance both in quality and quantity, in global information flow between the south and the north, also known as the first world countries of the world.
This inbalance according to the south, has placed it at the receiving end as developing countries are daily bombarded with information and other media materials which do not meet their development needs and more importantly tend to debase their culture and portray them as inferior in the eyes of all.
Supporting this assertion, Okunna (1993:92) say, A lot of research evidence has been gathered over the year to demonstrate the unbalance in the quality and particularly, quantity of global mass communication. This unbalance with the attendant dangers of culture domination through mass communication in at the root of protracted demand for a new world information and communication.
The north on its own part argues that the flow of information should be free and unrestricted quoting the 1940 united Nation (UN) declaration on the freedom of information as the basis of her arguments.
According to the UN declaration of 1946, all state should proclaim policies under which the free flow of information within countries and across national boundaries could be protected. This free flow of information itself could be on offshoot from the liberation press theory of value of free information. Although third world countries accept the freedom of their citizens to receive and disseminate information they argue that such information freedom be checked in the interest of their sovereignty
The South, therefore rejects free flow of information in which there is an overwhelming amount of information flowing from a small number of industrialized countries into the numerous countries of the developing world. This rejection is partly rooted in the negative effects or consequences of this type of flow on cultures of the third world countries cultural imperialism or synchronization could be a resultant effect of the unhindered and unbalance global information flow.
Supporting the south’s line of argument, Opubor (1986:4) says, it is a very difficult state of affair indeed that a small group of people concentrated in four countries can arrogate onto themselves and preempt the management of our image of the world through controlling what is called news. Expressing similar views, Uche (1996:4) states, the western media’s on sought against Africa and the third world has continued to better and dent the image of the people of the southern hemisphere who are protracted as lesser beings. The demand for a new world information and communication order (NWICO) which Nigeria subscribes to is therefore borne out of the design to change the present pattern of the world information flow and also free her citizens form being passive receivers of distorted and biased information.
Historically, the new world information and communication orders debate has its root in the 1976 UN declaration on freedom of information. The disagreement stated in 1948 when Russia and her Allies opposed the idea of freedom of information at the Genva convention. The earliest quantitative study on it was the international press institute’s 1953 study of which suggested that there was unbalance the global news flow.
The debate gathered momentum in the 1960’s and 1990’s the united national educational scientific and cultural organizations involvement began precisely in 1970 when the issue was first tabled at its general conference. Two years later, the majority of its delayed resolved that there was potential danger of global news flow unbalance.
In 1974, the UNESCO conference approved a declaration on the new international economic order (NIEO) several other efforts were made before UNESCO in 1977 appointed a – 1b – man committee of communication experts headed by an Irish diplomat, san Macbrige to study the world communication problems and make recommendations. The Macbrige report was submitted in 1980. the report stated in no uncertain terms that there is unbalance domination is a reality of this unbalanced (Okenna, 1993:94) This did not go down well with some western countries. However the UNESCO chairman then Senegalese Amadon Mahtar M’Bow defended it stoutly, arguing that freedom of information in one directions freedom and liberty are not the monopolies of any group.
The argument however did not impress the west, as united states of America (USA) pulled out of UNESCO, in 1985 Britain and Singapore followed suit, maintaining that Nwico declaration was an endinic hostility towards the institution of free press, free market and above all individuals human rights. UNESCO, however remains unmoved and insisted that NWICO will bring about “more justice, more equity reciprocity information exchange, less dependence in commutation flow less downwards diffusion of message, more self reliance and cultural identity, more benefit for all man kind” because of the complex nature of this debate and the opposing stand of the different ideologies involvement the debatee has consumed many man hours and according to Juan Somavia, “This might lead to the wars major conflict among nations after the world wars”.
1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEMS
Third world countries like Nigeria suffer the consequences of the global information flow unbalance and faced with cultural subjugation and conquest by the first world which threatens their existence as sovereign nation states through cultural imperialism. Given the nature of the international communication system, there have always been fears that the massive flow of western countries, predominantly America, media cultures into non-western countries of the third world could lead to cultural dominations which distort and displace native cultures and lead to adoption of foreign life style and behavioral patterns
1.3 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
The objectives of this study is find out the degree of unbalance in global information flow between the first world and the third world. This study also examine the cultural context of the global information flow and highlights how it affect the countries of the third world. Finally thus study will attempt to offer suggestion and propose a model of international communication that will help bring about desired global understanding.
1.4 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
As one of the most topical and persistent issues in international communication and world politics today it is pertinent to find out the effects of the global information flow unbalance on third world countries. Although numerous studies have been conducted on this particularly issue, the resolution of the controversy about the world information flow pattern, also the target population of the studies have been diverse, but these studies will survey the opinion of enlightened and educated population of the issue that is undergraduates of mass communication of the HNDI and HNDII levels of study. Finally this study will analyze the old issue under a new setting the present world situation and purpose new ways different from all others for the resolution of the controversies surrounding the global information flow pattern. Here lies the uniqueness of this study
1.5 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
These research questions serves as a guide in finding answers to problems being investigated and hence they focus on the major problems.
1.6 RESEARCH HYPOTHESES.
The following assumption which are subject to testing the are made for the purpose of this research work.
H1: World politics today is an effective means of finding out the effects of global information flow unbalance on third world countries.
Ho: World politics today is not an effective means of finding out the effects of global information flow unbalance on third world countries
1.7 DEFINITION OF TERMS (CONCEPTUAL AND OPERATIONAL)
The South: This refers to developing or under developed countries of the world. They are also called third world countries.
The North: Refers to the developed countries of the west. They are called first world countries.
Information Flow: This is the movement of all mass media messages from one country to another.
Unbalance: This is the unequal flow of mass media can also be seen as unidirectional flow which means the one sided flow of information from the developed world.
Cultural Imperialism: This refers to the subjugation of a local culture and the in position of an alien culture.
Cultural Triangulation: This is intended to mean the process of selecting cross cultural entertainment, information and other media products from those countries whose cultural product are meaningful.
Cultural Synchronization: This implies that the tariff of cultural products goes massively in one direction and has basically a synchronic mode. The north offers the model with which the receiving parties synchronize local social inventiveness and cultural creatively are usually destroyed.
Global: This is a word used interchangeably with world.
Inter Dependence: It is used here to means that each actor or participate in the information flow controversy would aim at being truly independent and self reliance before involving itself fully in global cooperation activities and projects.
Association: This implies that a nation in corporate into its development only those aspects communication technology and development that are meaningful to its well being.
Dissociation: This portrays a growing separation and isolation.
1.8 ASSUMPTION
1.9 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY.
This study was supposed to be a research on the effects of world information flow imbalance on the third world countries.
However, because of obvious difficulties and deficiencies Nigeria will be used as a case study. Therefore this study will focus on the Nigerian perspective of the world information flow imbalance and its effects on third world countries.
This study also extends to some different stated in Nigeria which have universities, polythecnics that offer mass communication. Accordingly four stated out of the thirty six states that make up Nigeria were studied the stated were Lagos state in south west, Anambra, Imo and Enugu state in the south east of Nigeria.
Finally only the local governments within the chosen stated where the universities and polthecnics that offers mass communication were also studied.
1.10 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
The theoretical framework of this study can be derived from media, effect and mass communication theories which explains the ways in which news imbalance of world information and communication order effect developing nations of Africa through the cultivation theory and knowledge page theory or hypothesis.
Cultivation Theory: George Gerbner tried to determine the influence of television on viewers or the audience ideas of the environment they lived in. The television crates a confluence, a coming-together of attitudes. According to Berber, audience us TV to confirm fears and prejudices about the “way thins are”.
Television’s image cultivate the dominant tendencies of our culture’s beliefs, ideologies and world views. What occurs, according to the Annemberg research, is a convergence of people’s concepts of reality to that which is portrayed on the television.
Knowledge GAP Theory or Hypothesis: Tichenor, Donohu and Olien (1970) developed a theory of society in which mass and the rise of media messages play a central role. The model focuses on the role played by media news in cities and towns of various sizes. These areas are conceptualized subsystems with larger state and regional social systems. The team began by empirically establishing that news media systematically information some segments of the population, specifically persons in higher socio-economic groups, better than the others.
Knowledge gap could be seen as the systematic differences in knowledge between better information and less information segment of a population.
So, the basic assumption is that a media output grows in a given society so will the knowledge gap between privilege and under privileged social groups.
It has long been assumed that the press and broadcasting have added so greatly to the flow of public information that they will have helped to modify differences of knowledge resulting from inequalities of education and social position (Gaziano, 1983).
REFERENCES
Gaziano, C. (1983). The Knowledge Gap”: An Analytical Review of Media Effects; Communication Research, 10(4): 447-86.
Gerbner, G. (1956), “Towards a General Model of Communication”, Audio Visual Communication Review.
Okunna, Chinyere et al (1993), Theory and Practice of Mass Communication (Enugu: Abic Publishers).
Opubor, A.E. (1983), “Mass Communication and Modern Development in Nigeria” in Nweneli (ed) Mass Communication in Nigeria: A Book of Reading, Enugu: Fourth Dimension Publishing Co. Ltd.
Uche, Luke (1989), Mass Media People and Politics (New Delhi: Concept Publishing Company).
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