News Commercialization in Nigeria: Undermining Issues in Public Interest for Financial Gains

The sanctity of the news is gradually being infiltrated by commercial messages of propaganda in the interest of government, private organizations, and elite individuals. The news which ought not to be tampered with because of its importance to fulfilling the social responsibility function of the media to the society, in reality seems to be slowly and steadily losing focus in Nigeria. Broadcast organizations commercialize the news broadcast in exchange of financial gains; raising concerns as to in whose interest the news is? This paper discusses the two levels of news commercialization identified to be in practice in Nigeria which are: the institutional, and the individual journalist levels of news commercialization. It further examines the implications of news commercialization on the social responsibility function of the media, as well as the ability of broadcast audience to receive adequate and relevance messages of social importance.