Sensationalism versus Responsibility: Ethical Dilemma in Nigerian Reporting of Banditry and Kidnapping

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@article{1718303,
      author = {Adedowole, I. F, Sule, I},
      title = {Sensationalism versus Responsibility: Ethical Dilemma in Nigerian Reporting of Banditry and Kidnapping},
      journal = {Iconic Research And Engineering Journals},
      year = {2024},
      volume = {7},
      number = {11},
      pages = {971-979},
      issn = {2456-8880},
      url = {https://www.irejournals.com/formatedpaper/1718303.pdf},
      abstract = {This article interrogates the ethical tensions that shape Nigerian media coverage of banditry and kidnapping. It examines how commercial pressures, platform algorithms, political economy, safety constraints, and verification challenges incentivize sensationalism, while professional norms demand harm minimization, dignity, accuracy, and context. Drawing on journalism ethics, communication theory, trauma-informed practice, and media effects literature, the paper synthesizes evidence from scholarly studies and practitioner guidelines to articulate a responsible-reporting framework tailored to Nigeria’s security landscape. It develops a conceptual model linking newsroom incentives to coverage frames and downstream societal effects, including risk perception, policy responses, and conflict dynamics. The article offers practical protocols for editors and reporters ranging from embargoes during active kidnappings to source verification ladders, language discipline, and solutions-oriented storytelling alongside recommendations for regulators, civil society, and platforms. It concludes that reconciling attention with accountability requires structural reforms (funding models, safety training, access to data), newsroom culture shifts (verification-first and trauma-informed routines), and platform co-regulation that discourages the monetization of spectacle while rewarding context and accuracy.},
      keywords = {Nigeria, Journalism Ethics, Banditry, Kidnapping, Sensationalism, Harm Minimization, Trauma-Informed Reporting, Media Effects, Verification, Responsibility},
      month = {May},
      doi = {https://doi.org/10.64388/IREV7I11-1718303}
  }