Perceived Influence of New Media Environmental Dynamics on Unethical Practices Among Journalists in Kwara State, Nigeria.
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Date
2025
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Publisher
nassarawa Journal of Multimedia and Communication studies
Abstract
The study was design to assess the trend in the perceptions of how the digital transformation of news media has influenced the prevalence of specific unethical journalistic practices in the contemporary media environment. To understand how these environmental conditions shape ethical and unethical journalistic behaviour the study employs the analytical framework of Media Ecology Theory to guide the study. Sample were drawn form population of journalism and broadcast practitioners in Kwara State. The findings show that new media platforms have most significantly aggravated practices including Afghanistanism, inaccurate reporting, sycophancy, sensationalism, and bribery. Moderate agreement was found regarding the exacerbation of character assassination, moonlighting, and story fabrication, linked to the immediacy and competitiveness of online journalism. Conversely, practices such as plagiarism, self-censorship, and brown-envelope journalism were perceived as less influenced by the new media environment. The findings collectively demonstrate that while digital technology enhances the speed and reach of information dissemination, it simultaneously intensifies core ethical challenges, particularly those related to reliability and integrity. The study concludes that mitigating these amplified risks necessitates strengthened professional regulation, enhanced digital literacy, and a renewed ethical reorientation within the journalistic profession for the digital age.
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Keywords
New Media Environment, Unethical Practices, Journalists, Kwara State, Nigeria