Regional Parallelism and Corruption Scandals in Nigeria: Intranational Approaches to African Media Systems

by Muhammad Jameel Yusha'u

Overview

Regional Parallelism and Corruption Scandals in Nigeria is a ground-breaking book that offers fresh perspectives on the character and role of the African media in covering corruption scandals. It explores whether reports regarding corruption stem from the efforts of journalists who employ investigative journalism, or if it is a mere coincidence promoted by the activities of anti-corruption agencies. To that end, the book develops a media systems theory for Africa based on the coverage of corruption scandals in the Nigerian press. This new theoretical paradigm, defined as regional parallelism, argues that African countries are nations within nations, and that therefore any comparative study of the media system should recognize this understanding. The book combines both interviews with journalists as well as qualitative content analysis of newspapers to determine the patterns and issues that influence the reporting of corruption. It also looks at corruption within the media itself, taking into account factors such as regionalism and ethnicity within the practice of journalism. 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9783319962207
Publisher:	Palgrave Macmillan
Publication date:	10/04/2018
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	603 KB

About the Author

Muhammad Jameel Yusha’u is Founder and President of the online educational technology platform Uni Focus Academy, which provides free courses to students in higher education. He previously served as Senior Lecturer in Media and Politics at Northumbria University, UK and Lecturer in Mass Communication at Bayero University, Nigeria. He also worked as a producer at the BBC World Service.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction: Corruption Scandals and Intranational Framework for Media Systems Research in Africa.- 2. An Overview of the State of Media in Africa.- 3. Historical Landscape of Nigerian Newspapers.- 4. White and Black Press: Racial Parallelism in South African Journalism.- 5. Foreign Ownership, Local Dynamics: The Media System in Kenya.- 6. Corruption Without Borders: PTDF and Former Governors’ Scandals in the Nigerian Press.- 7. Reporting Corruption Scandals in Nigeria: Perspectives from Journalists.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“This book tackles pertinent issues such as corruption, conflict and democracy in selected African countries to illustrate that neither the continent as a whole, nor the individual countries within it should be treated as monoliths. Rooted in a historical understanding of African media, the book demonstrates the importance of viewing African media systems as diverse and contested.” (Herman Wasserman, Professor of Media Studies, University of Cape Town, South Africa)

“This book offers a timely and much needed critical analysis of Media Systems in Africa and significantly broadens the scope and depth of work on Media Systems theory. Through a nuanced and systematic analysis of the reporting of corruption scandals in Nigeria, Muhammad Jameel Yusha’u provides students and scholars with a conceptually rigorous and empirically grounded account of how the mediation of corruption scandals in Nigeria signal forms of regional parallelism and partisanship across religious, political andgeographical divides. Yusha’u also helpfully applies his media systems analysis to other contexts, with chapters on South Africa and Kenya, thereby significantly enhancing both the geographical reach of the book and its contribution to African Media Studies and Political Communication more broadly.” (John Steel, Department of Journalism Studies, University of Sheffield, UK)

“A good read, Regional Parallelism and Corruption Scandals in Nigeria details the historical and contemporary roles of media in sub-Saharan Africa. It fills a huge void in the literature of media studies in the continent.” (Abdullahi Tasi’u Abubakar, School of Arts and Social Sciences, City University, London, UK)

Editorial Reviews

This book is a bold attempt at addressing the freedom and independence of the press in Africa, with a particular focus on Nigeria, a country that is often labeled as corrupt by local and international media alike. … an incredible read and should be mandatory reading for anyone studying African media systems, reporting African news stories, or working for African media houses.” (Africa Policy Journal, apj.hkspublications.org, April 21, 2021)

From the Publisher