Audience Assessment of Media Ethics and Professional Standards in Reporting Post-election Crises in Nigeria

Abstract

This study analyses the media's compliance with professional and ethical standards in their reporting of post-election crises, a period historically marked by societal volatility. The research was based on a survey of 112 lecturers from Kogi State University and Prince Abubakar Audu University, and a five-point Likert-scale questionnaire was used to collect data on three main objectives. The article uses Framing Theory to argue that these external elements constitute meta-frames that constrain journalists from telling the truth without bias. The results demonstrate that the media is perceived as having weak commitment to its ethical obligations: perceived lack of objectivity is significant, and ethical violations are very common, including the sharing of fake news, hate speech, and unverified information. Moreover, the research revealed that moral incompetence is primarily caused by systemic problems, such as political influence, economic pressures, and a lack of adequate training and regulatory oversight, rather than by a need to create sensationalism for the audience. Finally, the results prove that the inability of the media to meet the established ethical standards is a burning issue that undermines the confidence of citizens and jeopardises the stability of the country.