History and the Press: A Case Study of Australia and Nigeria

Abstract

The circumstances of birth and the political setting contribute significantly to the nature, roles and effectiveness of a mass medium. The birth of the Nigerian press, in an era of contentious colonial rule and heightened missionary activity, for example, produced newspapers that were essentially a combative and indomitable anti-colonial force. Furthermore, the Nigerian press was propelled by historical circumstances to become a strong but improbable supporter of military rule until 1998 when it began to promote democracy. Although Australia was, like Nigeria, a British colony, its history had a different effect on the growth, values and direction of its press. The paper will argue that the significant similarities and differences between the Australian and the Nigerian journalism can be attributed to the history of the press in these countries.

Keywords

• mass media
• nigerian press
• colonialism
• history
• australian press
• comparative study
• journalism