Proceedings of the International Conference of Communication Science Research (ICCSR 2018)

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Ethical consideration in the reportage of sexual abuse of children: A review of selected Nigerian newspapers

Authors
Ben-Collins Emeka Ndinojuo
Corresponding Author
Ben-Collins Emeka Ndinojuo
Available Online July 2018.
DOI
10.2991/iccsr-18.2018.17How to use a DOI?
Keywords
ethics; sexual assault; children; Nigeria; newspapers
Abstract

Ethical considerations are important for journalists when reporting about the sexual abuse of children. The codes of ethics of society of professional journalists and Nigeria Press Council both recognize the need for ethics when reporting abuse stories due to the sensitive nature of the subject in relation to children and minors. This paper is hinged on the social responsibility theory of the press which states that granted the media may is free to publish especially in democracies, they must, however, exercise some restraint and responsibility in the type of information they make public. Using a qualitative content analysis, 10 newspaper articles were content analyzed, 5 each from Premium Times and Vanguard newspapers between September 1, 2017, and March 31, 2018 to ascertain their level of compliance with the ethics code. The study found out that although the newspapers did not disclose the names of abuse victims, it did however; include some information in some of the stories that makes it easy for the accused to be identified. Journalists are therefore enjoined to observe the code of ethics strictly as the future lives of children could be affected.

Copyright
© 2018, the Authors. Published by Atlantis Press.
Open Access
This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/).

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Volume Title
Proceedings of the International Conference of Communication Science Research (ICCSR 2018)
Series
Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research
Publication Date
July 2018
ISBN
10.2991/iccsr-18.2018.17
ISSN
2352-5398
DOI
10.2991/iccsr-18.2018.17How to use a DOI?
Copyright
© 2018, the Authors. Published by Atlantis Press.
Open Access
This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/).

Cite this article

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TI  - Ethical consideration in the reportage of sexual abuse of children: A review of selected Nigerian newspapers
BT  - Proceedings of the International Conference of Communication Science Research (ICCSR 2018)
PB  - Atlantis Press
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DO  - 10.2991/iccsr-18.2018.17
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