Conflict of ethical obligation and organisational commitment in secondary content selection by radio stations in Oyo State, Nigeria

Abstract

Secondary gatekeeping, also known as secondary content selection, is a rising trend in Nigeria. Like the conventional media gatekeeping process, the practice is equally affected by various forces as news editors make their editorial decisions daily. Scholars have conducted empirical studies in the areas of media ethics and organisational policy as they apply in conventional gatekeeping process whereas secondary gatekeeping is yet to receive much scholarly attention despite its prevalence in the Nigerian broadcast industry especially with the alleged dereliction of ethical responsibility in the construction of secondary news content matters by editorial staff. This study, therefore, examined secondary gatekeeping by radio stations in Oyo State, Nigeria, in terms of the struggle between adherence to ethical prescriptions and organisational allegiance and how this conflict influences the news content decision of the editorial personnel. Anchored on gatekeeping theory, the study combined In-depth Interviews and Content Analysis as research designs. Findings show that news editors in the radio stations are almost always deprived of editorial autonomy in selecting secondary news contents as they are constantly influenced by organisational forces. These findings suggest that what the media gatekeepers give the public as news may not always be true mirror of social reality, but a different picture as dictated by sundry organizational factors.