HABERMAS' DISCOURSE ETHICS AND NIGERIAN JOURNALISM: E X P L O R I N G T R U T H - T E L L I N G , P R E S S F R E E D O M , A N D RESPONSIBLE REPORTING IN NIGERIA'S MEDIA LANDSCAPE
The paper discusses the ways discourse ethics applied by Juergen Habermas can be used to solve the modern problems in Nigerian journalism with reference to how the principles of communicative action, ideal speech situation and the public sphere can be used to address pressing needs in the media environment in Nigeria. As Nigeria is on the 112th position among the 180 countries on the scorecard of 2024 World Press Freedom Index, reporters are particularly concerned with such a serious challenge as government intimidation, economic pressure, and misinformation. Through the Habermasian discourse ethics, the paper evaluates how rational discourse principles, claims of universal validity, and communicative rationality can be used to transform the Nigerian media to become more responsible in their reporting. As the analysis indicates, despite Nigeria having certain elements of the media environment that portrays the Habermas idea of the public sphere, structural variations, economic conditions, and political interferences destroy the possibilities of having ideal speech situations. The paper will end with an elaboration of the recommendation of discourse principle of ethics to be used to promote the integrity of journalism, enhance press freedom, and build democratic discourse in the emerging media trend in Nigeria.
Keywords: Discourse Ethics, Nigerian Journalism, Habermas, Public Sphere, Press Freedom, Media Ethics, Communicative Action.