CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the Study

Journalism is the collection preparation and distribution of News and

related commentary and feature materials through such media as pamphlet News

letter magazines radio motion pictures television Bill Boards the internet and

Books.

Journalism according to World Book encyclopedia (Vol. 11) is the

profession of recording events they maybe of interest to the public. It is therefore

both World-wide in scope and as limited as the territory covered by the smallest

weekly paper. Men and women who are engaged in this tremendous News

gatherings task call themselves journalists and such modern journalists use every

means of communication to report the News of the world to Newspaper Magazine

and the New Rooms of Radio and Television.

According to Lambenr and Lambenr (1964) an Attitude is a composite of

how a person understands feel about and act towards the given object person or

issues events and objects.

The earliest known Journalists product was a News sheet in Ancient Rome

called the ACTA DIURNAL published daily from 59BC it was hung in prominent

places and recorded important social and political events. Journalism in the 20

th

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century was marked by a growing sense of professionalism. In our society today it

has been observed that female student journalists have negative attitude towards

taking Journalism as a career but before going into that we look at history of the

NUJ.

History of the Nigeria Union of Journalist (NUJ)

The Nigeria Union of Journalism (NUJ) birth was linked to the struggle for

the independence of Nigeria. The struggle it could be re-called gave birth to many

protest groups all yearning for the country‟s independency from the British. The

group came in various shades some were political in nature like “The Nigeria

Youth Movement” a platform for the Nationalists others were Trade Union and

Professional groups. It was the collective activities and efforts of the Nationalists

and Journalists in the early 1950‟s that compelled the British Colonial Government

to grant Nigeria independence without shedding blood.

Apart from writing editorial comments and reporting the activities of the

Nationalists Trade union students and bodies involved in the struggle for

independence on the pages of Newspapers the journalists however had no central

body through which they could take any action like other groups. What they could

not express as a body was done through Newspapers. When Journalism started in

Nigeria the industry was not totally professional affair. However most of the

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persons who ventured into the field were those of great reputation and integrity;

persons who had the calling competence and skills to do so.

Eminent Nigerian statement such as Herbert Macurly Nnamdi Azikiwe

Adamu Ciroma Ernest Ikoli Lateef Jakande among others all started as

journalists through which they made their indelible marks on National

development. This goes to shows that journalism is not for quacks charlatans or

dropout who have now invaded the industry claiming to know what they do not

know. In essence the Nigeria Union of Journalist (NUJ) of this present time should

therefore beef up their watch dog function to confront the menace with all

seriousness. The union must wake up and come up with radical measures to check

this situation that smears the integrity and reputation of hardworking journalists.

The union should also devise means of encouraging real reporters to draw the

attention of events organizers to the presence of fake Journalists in their midst.

Media houses need to co-operate with the NUJ in tacking the challenges posed by

the fake journalists.

They can do this by highlighting reports about quacks in the industry and

punishing the impersonators apprehended. This is the only way to bring about the

desired respectability to journalists and indeed respectability to journalists and

indeed the Nigerian journalism industry.

Having looked at the history of the NUJs this Negative attitude of female

student journalists is highly reflected in the Number of mass media houses. Almost

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all institution of higher learning in Nigeria offer Mass Communication courses

leading to the awards of various degrees and certificates including National

Diploma Higher National Diploma Bachelor and Master Degrees. The increase in

the Number of female graduates from all these institution are not reflected in the

media of communication in the country.

Each year hundreds of female students graduate as Mass Communicators.

A close look shows that the Numbers of female Journalist students surpassed the

Number of their Male counterpart. But in the field today a good number of these

female graduates are not seen working in the various media houses scatted all over

the country. Reference to the convocation booklets from these schools revealed

that good Number of female Mass Communication students graduated from those

schools. In the year 1997 about 86 female Journalist graduated from the Ogun

State Polytechnic about 150 female Journalists graduated from Federal

Polytechnic Oko that same year the Institute of Management and Technology

(IMT) Enugu had about 120 female graduates in the year 2011.

Similarly with other Mass Communication schools in the country for

instance in the year 2008 Nnamdi Azikiwe University (NAU) Awka turned out

about 58 female graduate from department of Mass Communication Between year

2008 Caritas University Enugu graduated over 50 female journalist. Presently in

my class we are 56 students in Number 49 out of the 56 students are females while

only 5 are male.

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In other levels the Numbers of female students surpassed the Number of

Male students in the department of Mass Communication with great difference.

In recent year Media houses in the Western countries lack trained

journalist in the various communication activities. Invariably it has been the same

in Nigeria and this could be seen in most cases of the media houses in Nigeria.

There has been an imbalance in the number of female and male trained Journalists

working with them. Those who are worried about this situation said that if there

were more women that men seeking Jobs in the media houses and they all have the

same ability and background more men get the job (Women in communication

Pg. 8) she noted that women could only be awarded a job if they are hardworking

and qualified they must be awarded or offered a job in the journalism professions.

Further more the Enugu Television Authority has about twenty seven

trained journalists on its staff five out of the twenty seven are female. The

situation is similar in other media institutions through out Nigeria and in most

Western countries.

1.2 Statement of the Research Problem

According to Omenugha (2004. P 4) “one thing that is glaring in the

Nigeria media is the near absence of Nigeria women as Newsmakers”. Though

Nigeria is developing it got to stage where the female journalists and their male

counterparts should be competing in the media houses. The number of female

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journalists in the field is very fern compared to the number that graduates from

journalism schools and universities. This study was undertaken to analyses the low

participation of the female journalists it was observed that good number of trained

female journalists go into the profession but very few of them practice the career.

Therefore the question the study seeks to answer is the attitude of Caritas

female Mass Communication students towards journalism as a career.

1.3 Objectives of the Study

The objectives of the study are;

 To find out if the hazard of journalism as a career scare women away from

the profession.

 To find out if the fragile nature of women make them drop their profession

for less hazardrous jobs after their training.

 To find out possible solutions to the female aparthy to the journalism

profession in Nigeria vis a vis counterparts in other countries.

1.4 Research Questions

 In what ways does the hazard of journalism as a career scare women away

from the profession?

 Why does the fragile nature of women make them drop their profession for

less hazardrous jobs after their training?

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 What are the possible solutions to the female aparthy to the journalism

profession in Nigeria vis a vis their counterparts in other countries?

1.5 Research Hypothesis

1. H

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: Hazard of journalism as a career does not scare women away from

the profession.

2. H

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: Fragile nature of women do make them drop their profession for

less hazardrous jobs after their training.

1.6 Scope of the Study

As this study focuses attention primarily on the attitude of female Mass

Communication students towards journalism as a career it attempts an over view

of a good number of professionals who have already made similar studies of

women images in the media and their attitude towards journalism.

In this study the researcher raised a number of assumptions she assume

that the way the image of women are being potrayed in the society as journalists

have created an imbalance in the ratio of working male journalists to the female

counterparts.

In essence the researcher has deemed it fit to concentrate mere on Caritas

female journalists and the issues affecting them as working journalists.

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1.7 Significance of the study

This study will be of immense benefits to the female journalists because a

lot of people are being baffled over the issue why women do not take up

journalism as a career after studies. It has really agitated the minds of some

professionals and has equally created a lot of controversy. The researcher

therefore has deemed it fit to find out the reason for such negative attitude of

females towards journalism.

Some authors and researchers lives on assumptions mainly because of the

way the images of Women are being potrayed in the society as journalists. This

study has therefore provided an avenue for an in-dept study on the controversial

issue of knowing the militants against the idea of women going into journalism as a

career how do these women see the practice of journalism do they go into the

study with the intention of practicing journalism or taking up just as a career.

This study will serve as resource materials for programmes design and

implementation in the effort concerning women in development and to student of

women studies Mass Communication and Journalism. It will be useful reading and

reference materials for others.

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1.8 Operational Definitions of Significant Terms

In this research work the terms used were operationally defined the

meanings reflect how the researcher wants the term to be understood in the context

of this work.

1. Study: It is an act of considering or examining some thing in detail. It can

also be said to be a piece of research that examines a subject or question in

detail.

2. Attitude: This is a way of feeling or your – opinion about something or

somebody.

3. Female: It is a situation of being a women or girl.

4. Mass: A large Number of people in a community society and nation.

5. Communication: Method of sending information to a large number of

people especially through Television Radio Computers Newspaper

Magazine Etc.

6. Students: These are group of people who are studying at a university or

colleges.

7. Towards: This is in relation to something or somebody or in the direction

of something.

8. Journalism: It is a new effort in reporting in which professional

communicators use social research method together interprete and vividly

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present information to the target audience. Journalists is therefore the

science of reporting.

9. Career: It is the job or series of jobs that you do during your working life

especially if you continue to get more money.

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