THE EFFECT OF COMMERCIAL NEWS ON THE ETHICS OF JOURNALISM

 
The ethics of any profession prescribe the moral standards every professional is expected to observe in the practice of his/her profession. Once the ethical precept of any profession is codified and adopted as the common ethical standards of a given profession, there is the need for professionals of that given profession to apply the standardized moral codes in the discharge of their professional practice. Journalism practice like other professions has a number of codes of ethics that guide its practice.
In Nigeria for instance, a code of ethics which guide the conducts of journalists in the practice of their professional practice abound. In summary, the ethical code prescribes among others that journalists should exhibit high level of responsibility in deciding news contents; be fair and accurate in reporting issues of public interest; respect individuals’ right to privacy; protect the confidentiality of their sources of information; maintain decency in their reportage of issues; avoid discrimination of any kind; protect national interest; and shun the act of soliciting for or accepting bribe and all forms gratifications as precondition for publishing information (Fab-Ukozor, 2000; Nwodu, 2006:165 and Udeze, 2012).
Journalism practice wields such enormous powers and call for the highest standards of ethics and commitment to truth. Ethics and truth in journalism have assumed global concern as scholars that their basics constituents of objectivity, accuracy, fairness and balance have merely assumed mythical qualities as journalist battle to assign credibility to their news stories.   According to Tuchman in 1978:2, describes objectivity as facility (a mechanism which allows the journalist to hide even from themselves the constructed and partial nature of their stories). This view seems to have garnered force as increasingly scholars suggest that news when professionally selected is guided more by organization needs than by professionalism. The journalist thus becomes a walking paradox (Nordenstreng 1995), as one cannot fail to see that journalism is so full of contradiction.   That we have to question even the most fundamental dogma of the profession truth seeking because the way it has been conceived and practiced in journalism serve as a deceptive filtering device preventing as much as helping the truth been discovered (Nordenstreng in 1995:117). News commercialization practice in Nigeria media industries adds to this contradiction and deception, creating a continuous dilemma for ethics and objectivity in journalism practice in Nigeria.
Today journalism, as an industry and a profession, is characterized by ever-increasing turbulence and change, for better and for worse. Profound transformations affect every aspect of the institution, including the economic health of journalism, the conditions and self-understandings of its practitioners, its ability to serve as a watchdog on concentrations of power, its engagement with and relationship to its audience, and its future prospects. This emerging and dynamic ecology can be viewed as a unique constellation of challenges and opportunities. For these reasons, the fifth Future of Journalism conference, held in Cardiff on 10–11 September 2015, focused on the theme of Risks, Threats and Opportunities. The conference saw over 120 papers from around the world presented across 34 sessions, with keynote speeches from Dan Gillmor, Stephen Reese and Jean Seaton. This introduction briefly outlines some of these key risks, threats and opportunities, drawing on work presented at the conference, as well as insights from the field of journalism studies.
1.2       Statement of the Problem