CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
- . Background of the Study
The media is a prime source of information on crime and safety for a significant proportion of the world’s population within the context of Canada, Judith Dubois, a researcher at the university du Quebec a Montreal, refers to several national studies recorded by the Canadian sentencing commission that reveal 95% of interviews also the media as the main source of information on crime related issues.
Despite the impressive figure, there have been endless debates on the degree to which media coverage of crime related events influences is strong or weak, this project work outline the several critical studies, practices and partnership. In the field of crime prevention and urban safety, which suggest that the media exerts both negative and positive influences on public opinion and policy and is most relevant in our focus on crime prevention?
In order to examine this role, it is important to recognize that the “media” is not a single source of enquiry, but includes a series of elements which require their own separate analysis, from Newspaper, to radio, internet, Television, alternate media in the investigation of the influences of crime media on public opinion and criminal justice and prevention policy and practice.
This project aims to describe the impact of media on crime prevention providing an integrated approach for exploring the multiple roles of the media. National and independent studies continue to maintain that the media holds an important position for communication and information sharing and dissemination in society. “The masses rely on images of trends and prevalence made available by the experts and official sources”.
However, due to the complexity and multi-dimensional framework, which encloses the impact of the media, its interactions and links, these roles remain largely undefined. Therefore, the impact is more complex than a causal link or simply media conforming to dominant news values.
In the end, through an inclusive, interactive and democratic relationship with a variety of media of crime prevention, and thus for preventing media misuse misconception and stigmatization and for promoting successful strategies and policies.
Given the scope of this preliminary study, the media’s impact will be largely discussed in relation to News media, given the interactions and questioned, yet still remain to be tested and proven.
Therefore, this research work will entail the major role which the media contribution on crime and corruption prevention, using the Economics and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) as a case study.
The history of crime and corruption in Nigeria is strongly rooted in the over 29 years of military rule, out of 46 years of her state hood since 1960. Successive military regime subdued of the public treasury, decapitated public institutions and free speech and constituted a secret and opaque culture in the running of government business.
The result was total insecurity, poor economic management, and abuse of human rights, conflict and capital flight. Democracy was restored in Nigeria only in 1999, with the election of the Civilian government under the leadership of President Olusegun Obasanjo. One Cardinal programme of the Obasango administration is the fight against crime, corruption and waste in the public services. This, he has demonstrated by the establishment of two major anti-graft institutions, the independent corrupt practice and other related offences commission (ICPC) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in 2000 and 2003 respectively.
EFCC is the federation of European societies for clinical chemistry and laboratory. Machine, under the auspices of IFCC (International Federation for clinical chemistry and laboratory medicine) Connecting National societies of clinical chemistry and laboratory medicine in Europe (defined according to WHO) and creating a platform for all specialists working on the field of clinical chemistry and laboratory medicine Europe. EFCC is the European branch of IFCC, the word EFCC, which was derived from the European societies for clinical chemistry and laboratory medicine, was formed in June 2007 at the Euromedla meeting in Amsterdam from the merger of the federation of European Communities confederation of clinical chemistry (EC4).
The Nigerian EFCC which is today the arrow head in fight off against crime and corruption in Nigerian using the media as a source of information and prevention was established in 2003 as part of a national reform programme to address crime and money laundering and in answer to the financial action task force (FATA) concerns about Nigeria’s Anti-money laundering and in answer to the financial action task force (FATA) concerns about Nigeria’s Anti-money laundering and combating the finance of Terrorism (AML/CFT) laws.
EFCC is an inter-agency commission comprising of 22 members Board drawn from all Nigeria Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAS) and regulators, the commission is empowered to investigate, prevent and prosecute offenders who engage in Money laundering, embezzlement, bribery, looking and any form of corrupt practices, illegal arms deal, smuggling, human trafficking and exchange of malpractices including counts feting of cussencies, theft of intellectual property and piracy. Open market abuse, dumping of toxic waste and prohibited goods (Section 46, EFCC Establishment Act, 2004).
- Statement of the Problem
The efficiency of mass media on crime in the society is over emphasized due to the incalculable function of surveillance, the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) dimed it to work hand in hand regarding the masses are highly relying on mass media.
The surveillance, which is the gathering and discriminating of information. Media source effects receivers of providing them the instrumental information they need in order to get through a day. When we speak of the media as the “watch dogs of a free society”, we are referring to the surveillance function. In general, the surveillance aspect of media is fulfilled by News programming the question this is:
- Do mass media report any crime message effectively to the society? If yes, what are some of the loop hopes taking the media, especially government owned mass media? The level of crime in Nigeria is increasing rapidly, but due to the nature of government in practice (democracy) the masses ought to know certain things happening in the society.
- The problem now becomes, is the mass media helping the society to be acquitted with crimes going on in the society.
- What are the inter-relationship between mass media and economics and financial crime commission (EFCC)
All this problems motivated the researcher to dig
1.3. Objective of the Study
The objectives of this research are:
- To examine the effectiveness of media in crime reportage in society.
- To examine the problems facing media while carrying out crime reportage.
- To determine the efficacy of media in educating the masses on Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in garbing Crime/Nigeria.
- Research Question
Research question are used to collect and elicit data that will help in the Research work. There questions are also meant to guide the researcher in getting data that will help in the end to solve the problem identified by the research.
These questions are as follows:
- How effectively do media report crime to the safety?
- What are the problems facing media income reportage?
- Do media educate the masses on the efficiency of Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) in Nigeria?
- What are the inter-relationship between the media and Economic and Financial crime Commission (EFCC).
- Scope of the Study
Due to the omitted time, the work will be limited to EFCC, Abuja for the researcher to study. It is being assumed that Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Abuja is representing the entire EFCC branch, it is the case study.
1.6. Significance of the Study
Study embarked upon the researcher is meant to show that media, prevention in urban area over crime-related and the process of collecting disseminating information on crime, shows that the media can plays a role in the facilitating aggressive behaviour, yet evidence remains vague and unconfirmed. This study demonstrates a stronger relationship between media exposure and the desensitization of certain criminal act SK Srivasta and Sweta Agarwal (2004), envision the media as a powerful tool for “communicating ideas” to the society in fighting crimes, violence against the masses.
The research work will be useful to students of various institutions undertaking specialized course in mass media and society. It will also contribute to works already existing in this field as well serve as a reference material to other students who may wish to carry out further research in this particular field.
1.7. Limitation of the study.
Every researcher is bound to face some limitations while conducting research work and this study is not an exception and the study cannot go beyond Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Due to some obstacle and challenging factors faced by the researcher as at the time of carrying out this research work.
Some of the limitations are as follows:
- Time Factor: Time constraint was equally a hindrance since the time limit given for the conducting, publishing and submitting of the research work was short and non-cooperative nature of the staff of interview for fear of reprimands, suspension, victimization or sack, made them not to give adequate response to the research question.
- Financial Research: A student is naturally not financially buoyant to meet all financial demand of a research project. Therefore, financial institution hinders additional fact findings from many other secondary sources. It is however appreciated that at the end it remains a work that be beneficial to the students and the public in general for further research and valuable sources of references for future scholars.
1.8. Definitions of term
In the study, classification has to be made on the terms of the study. Understanding the participation of exploring crime prevention in urban area dwellers, mass communications or any other field, is a good reason to deliberate on five terms stressed on the research topic.
These terms are:
- Curbing
- EFCC
- Mass Communication
- Mass Media
- Surveillance
These terms are defined as follows:
- Curbing: A means of restrain or limits; keep under control or holding back.
- EFCC: Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
- Mass Communication: As the joints words simply have be defined as gathering and dissemination of information to the public.
- Mass Media: Media that is also referred to as “intermediate”, this is to say that mass media stands in between the government and the public or order words.
- Surveillance: Close observation by the media, being a watch dog of a free.
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