Evaluation of Grassroots Newspapers’ Mission Statements in South-West Nigeria

Öz

Aim: Mission or vision statement is expected to reflect an organization’s ideology and operational philosophy. It provides an organization’s sense of direction, focus, and distinguishing features among its peers. Grassroots newspapers are often less institutionalized due to their low capital base. This study explores the extent of conceptualization of mission statements to guide the operational philosophy of grassroots newspapers in South-West Nigeria. Method: It adopts the content analysis research method to extract quantitative and qualitative data on key messages conveyed in the mission statements of 27 grassroots newspapers identified as operating within South-West, Nigeria. Results: The study finds that half of the identified grassroots newspapers have clearly expressed mission statements; mostly focused on creating a voice for community members, projecting their image and activities to the outside world, while reviewing national issues related to their communities; fostering development, and upholding journalism ethical standards. Conclusion: The findings thus suggest a high level of professionalism among grassroots newspapers operating in Nigeria’s South-Western region because they appear to understand their societal expectations. However, it is unclear if they indeed live up to the expressed mandates in their everyday operations as this was beyond the scope of this study. Further studies are therefore suggested to explore the extent to which grassroots newspapers in the region, and beyond, live up to their expressed mission statements. Originality: Research studies on print media in Nigeria often focus on national or regional newspapers with minimal attention accorded grassroots media. This study is original in its quest to understand the operational philosophy of grassroots print media in the country. The study thus contributes to public understanding of the operations and guiding principles of grassroots media often considered as alternative media capable of enhancing media access to local communities and enhancing their participation in political and developmental processes.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Grassroots newspaper
• mission statements
• media management
• content analysis
• Nigeria

Güneybatı Nijerya’daki Kitle Gazetelerinin Misyon Açıklamalarının Değerlendirilmesi

Öz

Amaç: Misyon veya vizyon ifadesinden bir kuruluşun ideolojisini ve operasyonel felsefesini yansıtması beklenir. Misyon; bir kuruluşun yön duygusunu, odak noktasını ve benzerleri arasında ayırt edici özellikleri sağlar. Kitlelere ait gazeteler düşük sermayeleri nedeniyle genellikle daha az kurumsallaşmıştır. Bu çalışma, Güney Batı Nijerya'daki kitle gazetelerinin operasyonel felsefesine rehberlik edecek misyon beyanlarının kavramsallaştırılmasının kapsamını araştırmaktadır. Yöntem: Nijerya'nın Güney Batı bölgesinde faaliyet gösterdiği belirlenen 27 kitle gazetesinin misyon beyanlarında aktarılan temel mesajlara ilişkin niceliksel ve niteliksel verileri çıkarmak için içerik analizi araştırma yöntemini benimser. Bulgular: Araştırmadan elde edilen bulgular sonucu, kitle gazetelerinin yarısının misyon beyanlarını açıkça ifade ettiğini; çoğunlukla topluluk üyeleri için bir ses yaratmaya, imajlarını ve faaliyetlerini dış dünyaya yansıtmaya ve aynı zamanda topluluklarıyla ilgili ulusal sorunları gözden geçirmeye odaklanmış olduğunu, kitle gazeteciliğinin gelişimini teşvik ettiğini ve gazetecilik etik standartlarını desteklediği bulgulanmıştır. Sonuç: Dolayısıyla bulgular, Nijerya'nın Güney-Batı bölgesinde faaliyet gösteren kitle gazeteleri arasında yüksek düzeyde bir profesyonellik olduğunu ortaya koymaktadır. Çünkü toplumsal beklentileri anlıyor gibi görünmektedirler. Ancak bu çalışmanın kapsamı dışında olduğundan, günlük operasyonlarında ifade edilen talimatları gerçekten yerine getirip getirmedikleri belirsizlik taşımaktadır. Bu nedenle, bölgedeki ve ötesindeki kitle gazetelerinin ifade ettikleri misyon beyanlarını ne ölçüde karşıladığını araştırmak için daha kapsamlı çalışmalar yapılması önerilmektedir. Özgünlük: Nijerya'da yazılı medya üzerine yapılan araştırma çalışmaları genellikle ulusal veya bölgesel gazetelere odaklanmakta ve kitle medyasına çok az ilgi gösterilmektedir. Bu çalışma, ülkedeki kitlelerden gelen yazılı basının işleyiş felsefesini anlama arayışı açısından orijinallik taşımaktadır. Bu nedenle çalışma, genellikle yerel topluluklara medya erişimini artırma ve onların siyasi ve kalkınma süreçlerine katılımlarını artırma kapasitesine sahip alternatif medya olarak kabul edilen kitle medyasının operasyonları ve yol gösterici ilkeleri hakkında kamuoyunun anlayışına katkıda bulunmaktadır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Kitle gazetesi
• misyon beyanları
• medya yönetimi
• içerik analizi
• Nijerya

Kaynakça

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