‘Watchdog not watched Dog’

Professor Umaru A. Pate, a communication scholar, once said, “In discharging their social responsibility, the press tries to remain vital in regulating social relations and ensuring that those in power did not misuse the power to the detriment of other individuals in the society”.

The press working as a watchdog has been one of the fundamental components of a democratic society. The watchdog of the press is the “stories implicitly demand the response of public officials. Playing a role as a Fourth Estate, journalism is able to allow and force governments at different levels to meet their obligations to the public by publicising several issues such as a scandal, corruption, and failure to address needs of the citizens.

The fact is that the nature of media news coverage in

Nigeria is episodic and the mass media are noted for their usual high incidence of news turn-overs without appropriate fellow-up and investigative journalism that could assist government and policy makers to get to the roots of many issues.

The media however provides the surveillance of the socio-political issues and events as well as platforms intelligible advocacy by politicians, spokesmen and other forces of interest.

The press serves a watchdog function of the society. Watchdog here means to make sure of accountability, transparency, good governance and rule of law. The press is therefore, a watchdog no watched dog!

Muazu Muazu is a freelancer from Kano muazumj@gmail. com