IMPACT OF GOVERNMENT MEDIA OWNERSHIP ON THE PROFESSIONALISM OF MEDIA PRACTITIONERS IN EBONYI STATE
This study assessed the impact of government media ownership on the professionalism in media practitioners in Ebonyi State: A study of FRCN Abakaliki. The finding of the study was based on secondary data. From the review of the literature available on the subject, it was discovered that ownership influence is a global phenomenon. The study traced the trajectory of the media influence in Nigeria from the colonial to the fifth republic and discovered that the influence on media practice is as long as the history of media itself. Government; colonial, military, democratic and private media owners wield influence on the media they operate. It was discovered that the owners have used their media platform to suppress the truth, influence the public opinion, denied the dissidents access to the media, peddled false information, settled political scores, character assassination, sacrifice their workforce for relationship and mislead the public. The study recommends as following: Journalist should be given freedom as it demands in the constitution that there should be freedom of the press, Arbitrary influence and control be discouraged, while excellence should be the watchword of the practitioners.