Public Interest or Advertiser’s Interest: On Whose Side is the Media?

International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) | Volume VI, Issue II, February 2022 | ISSN 2454–6186

Public Interest or Advertiser’s Interest: On Whose Side is the Media?

Jesse Ishaku, Woyopwa Shem
Department of Mass Communication, Taraba State University, Jalingo, Nigeria

Abstract:-This research work examines the role of the mass media vis-à-vis public interest and advertiser’s interest. Ideally the mass media are supposed to be adequately funded so as to avoid shackle of control from whatever angle. This is because without adequate funding of media organizations, they may not be able to perform their constitutional role of keeping the public abreast of the happenings around them. There are instances where some media stations are forced go out of circulation or unable to dish out news and programs at the appropriate time for the fact that the resources are inadequate or even lacking. As a result, media organizations prefer adverts to public interest news in order to stay afloat. Random sampling technique was used to select 383 respondents from across Nigeria Television Authority (NTA) Jalingo, its public as well as advertiser’s/advertising agencies, out of which only 378 responded to the questionnaire administered. Interviews were also conducted. The research work reveals among many things that, advertising has been found to be one of the major streams of revenue for media organizations. This situation has however, affected the performance of the media in carrying out their constitutional responsibility of protecting the interest of the public and holding government officials accountable to the masses. The study therefore recommends that, although advertising serves as one of the major sources of revenue upon which the continuous survival of media organizations largely depend on, that does not mean the interest of advertisers/advertising agencies should temper with the media’s sense of judgment in such a way that will make the media to deviate from their constitutional role of championing the interest of the masses.

Key words: Advertising, Public Interest and the Mass Media

Background of the study

The role of the mass media in any given society can never be overemphasised. This is because, the media is said to have an enormous influence on the audience based on the stimulus response theory. Considering the fact that media messages can reach great distances simultaneously, business conglomerations, captains of industries and multi-national companies have realised the importance of this medium of communication and have resorted to using it to inform and persuade a good number of people to know and possibly buy their products or services. This situation eventually turned the mass media whether television, radio, newspapers or magazines into a child of necessity for the advertisers/advertising agencies. However, as the years have progressed and the methods and techniques of advertising became advanced and quite sophisticated; the issue of intentional imprecision, enticement and creating consumerism and needs where there has been none before and/or turning luxuries into necessities became a major(Latif, Shah, Syed, Halepoto, Nazar, &Shaikh, 2012).
Be that as it may, this trend(s) has actually redefined the workings of the media which is now considered as an industry involved in the production and manufacturing of consent/ideas in line with the political economy of communication. The political economy of the media which is originally influenced by Marxist thought on economics, studies the manner in which the economic base of society determines the super-structure and consequently influences the cultural and political spaces within the society; international division of labor, ownership, modes of production and the importance of class structures and struggles. Advertising which is broadly defined as messages primarily designed and intended to persuade audience members to purchase particular goods and services by an identified sponsor(s), is an essential element of most media organisations, especially the broadcast media because of its immediacy and timeliness.

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