Hey ya'll. Here's chapter 4. Two more to go:)

peace.

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In order to determine the view points of both users and producers of the anti-corruption websites that I am focusing on for my thesis, I generated some interview questions. These interviews will take place between this and next week.

Although the chances of anyone actually reading this entry are quite slim, here are the links to the online case studies I'm focusing on; for anyone who's interested:

http://www.efccnigeria.org
http://www.icpcnigeria.com
http://www.antigraft.org

Also, a radio documentary is in the works, and I promise not to make it boring!:)

I'm actually enjoying doing this thesis now ... never thought I would say that! ;-)

peace.

1) How would you describe corruption in Nigeria (What does corruption (of public figures) in Nigeria mean to you)? What is the most disturbing aspect of corruption in Nigeria? In one word, how would you describe corruption in Nigeria?
2) What are your feelings towards fighting corruption in Nigeria? How should/can it be fought (How would you like to see it fought)? How concerned are you about corruption in Nigeria, especially since you are not in Nigeria?
3) How effective do you think the Nigerian government sponsored / Independent anti-corruption campaign is? (Up until now, did you ever know the EFCC, ICPC, or ACID existed? What institutions did you know existed?)
4) How relevant/effective do you think the media and the Internet are to Nigeria’s anti-corruption campaign? What is the most relevant implementation needed to combat corruption?
5) How do you use the Internet? (Take me through a typical Internet browsing session)
6) What was your first opinion of the sites?
7) How did you use the sites? What were you looking for? Where did you click on? How does using or viewing this site affect your perception and opinion of government and the governmental anti-corruption campaign? (Do govt. practices here seem credible or trustworthy?) (Same thing for independent institutions)
8) What is your overall opinion of these sites? What were the problems and attractions / positive and negative attributes of using the sites (likes/dislikes)? Strongest and weakest aspects?
9) How does the use of these sites affect your awareness of corruption?
10) After using this site, what do you want to do about Nigerian corruption now?
11) How would you compare information generated online to that generated from older media?
12) In Nigeria’s anti-corruption campaign, how important is access to information and freedom of press to you? How does the Internet play into this?
13) Why would (or wouldn’t) you visit the site again?
14) What would you like to see added to (or subtracted from) such websites (ie. What would you want from such sites, or how would you create your won anti-corruption site)?
15) What is your view on participating in an online forum in one of these government sponsored websites? With your real name? (How about civil society forums?)
16) How would you discover this site if I did not tell you about it? (Is this a site you would have been bound to discover eventually or have any interest in discovering and using? Why or why not?)
17) For non-Nigerians: As a non-Nigerian, what is your impression of this site and the message it generates? How is your impression towards Nigeria, the Nigerian government, and the Nigerian government’s / civil society’s anti-corruption campaign affected by such sites? How concerned are you about Nigerian issues?
18) Do you have any other thoughts on the Nigerian government / civil society and their online anti-corruption presence, or anything else?

Discussion Questions for web producers (Chapter 3 & 4):

1) What are your views on (public sector) corruption in Nigeria, and how to you think it should be dealt with? How satisfied are you with anti-corruption initiatives in Nigeria?
2) Why is the Internet important in dealing with the issue of (public sector) corruption in Nigeria? How effective to do you think it is?
3) What is the intent behind creating this anti-corruption site, and what do you hope to gain from it? How can your website, or the online Internet anti-corruption campaign, be improved?
4) What is the strongest and weakest aspect of your website?
5) How important do you think your online methods and practices are to the credibility and reputation of your organization?
6) How do methods and practices with older media compare to the use of the Internet in deal with Nigerian corruption?
7) How has the EFCC/ICPC/ACID benefited from using the Internet?
8) Why do you think users are skeptical towards your online anti-corruption initiatives and the overall campaign? How can this skepticism be eradicated or at least decreased?
9) How crucial to you think the participation of civil society is to the Nigerian anti-corruption campaign? What role does the Internet play in all of this?
10) What is the most crucial aspect to fighting (public sector) corruption in Nigeria?
11) Any other thoughts on this topic?

Discussion questions for Transparency International (and others) (Chapter 3 & 4):

1) What is the role of the Internet to the fight against corruption? (Describe what the Internet means to the fight against corruption)
2) How important do you think government and/or civil society sponsored Internet practices are to the Nigerian anti-corruption campaign? How effective can they be? What are the positive attributes and problems with Internet use in this sense?
3) How would you compare the role of the Internet to the role of more traditional media in the fight against corruption in Nigeria?
4) How can the role of the Internet in the Nigerian state-sponsored and independent anti-corruption campaign be improved ?
5) How can civil society become more involved and mobilized towards online anti-corruption initiatives?
6) Any other thoughts on the topic?

Here's a copy of my theory draft. Never thought I would say that ... ;)

Go

Here is the final draft of my research plan before I begin my research.
Let's get it started!!
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Hey peeps.
I just redesigned my portfolio website. Check it out when you have a chance, and maybe let me know what you think.
Go.

Hi everyone.
Please click on the link below to download the Word version of my updated research plan.
See you all on Thursday.

Download file

Downing, J.D.H. (2001). Social Movements, the Public Sphere, Networks. In Radical Media. Rebellious Communication and Social Movements (pp. 23-35). London: Sage.
* (Information and theory behind the use of media for social activism, public resistance, and civil disobedience; as they relate to Habermasian notions of the public sphere.)

Habermas, J. (1964). The Public Sphere: An Encyclopedia Article (1964). In New German Critique 1 (1974) (p. 49).
* (Information and theory on the uses and characteristics of an ideal public sphere.)

Habermas, J. (1989). The Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere: An Inquiry into a Category of Bourgeois Society (pp. 141-180). Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
* (Theory and practices behind the socio-economic and cultural transformation of the public sphere.)

Villarrel Ford, T. & Gil, G. (2001). Radical Internet Use. In J.D.H. Downing, Radical Media. Rebellious Communication and Social Movements (pp. 201-234). London:Sage.
* (Information and theory behind the use of media for social activism, public resistance, and civil disobedience.)

Additional literature:

The Transparency International website contains plenty of interesting theoretical analysis regarding how media deal with corruption, including the following list of references:

Bettina Peters, 'The Media's Role: Covering or Covering up Corruption?' in Global Corruption Report 2003 (Transparency International: 2003).

Jeremy Pope 'An Independent and Free Media' in TI Sourcebook 2000: Confronting Corruption: The Elements of a National Integrity System (Transparency International: 2000).

Monroe E. Price and Peter Krug, The Enabling Environment for Free and Independent Media (Oxford University: 2000).

Rick Stapenhurst, The Media's Role in Curbing Corruption (World Bank Institute: 2000).

Ian Beales, Imperfect Freedom: The case for self-regulation in the Commonwealth press (Commonwealth Press Union: 2002).

Karin Deutsch Karlekar (ed.), Freedom of the Press 2004: A Global Survey of Media Independence (Freedom House: 2004).

International Federation of Journalists 'Caught in the Act: Corruption and the Media' (Media for Democracy in Africa Conference, Brussels 21-22 September, 1998).

Websites:

For now, these are the websites that I have in mind for research, but I am still trying to figure out if I should pick three or four sites as case studies:

Organizations protecting the freedom of press, thus helping to fight corruption:
1) Media Rights Agenda - http://mediarightsagenda.org/index.html
2) United Nations - http://www.un.org
3) Freedom House - http://www.freedomhouse.org/template.cfm?page=1
4) The Committee to Protect Journalists - http://www.cpj.org

Organizations dedicated to fighting corruption:
1) Transparency International - http://www.transparency.org/ & http://www.transparency.org/publications/gcr
2) ACID - http://www.antigraft.org/ (Anti-corruption internet database)
3) One World Network - http://www.oneworld.net
4) United Nations - http://www.un.org (still need to find the specific organization dealing with free press and corruption coverage)
5) Center for Public Integrity - http://www.publicintegrity.org/ga/country.aspx?cc=ng&act=notebook
6) http://www.againstcorruption.org/BriefingsItem.asp?id=8616
7) Economic and Financial Crimes Commission: http://www.efccnigeria.org/

Chapter 2: Introduction to theory behind topic/central question and the reasons why the media analyzes, exposes and investigates corruption in the first place

Chapter 3: The impact of Internet corruption coverage on technical communication
3.1: Communication capabilities of traditional media
3.2: Communication capabilities of the Internet

Chapter 4: The impact of Internet corruption coverage and press freedom
4.1: Press freedom before/without the Internet
4.2: Press freedom with the advent of the Internet

Chapter 5: The impact of Internet corruption coverage on radical media use, social activism and awareness
5.1: Radical media before/without the Internet
5.2: Radical media with the advent of the Internet

Chapter 6: The impact of Internet corruption coverage on government policy
6.1: How the government uses the Internet to fight corruption
6.2: If and why the government is regulating non-governmental corruption coverage online

Chapter 7: The impact of Internet corruption coverage on public opinion and the reputation of the press

Chapter 8: Ethical considerations of corruption coverage on the Internet

Chapter 9: Internet corruption coverage and access to information/facilities

Chapter 10: Conclusion
10.1: Main conclusions
10.2: Comparison of my conclusions with opinions of other researchers
10.3: Suggestions of what new work can be done to answer questions raised by my research and to extend one’s knowledge base of the topic further.

* Throughout the chapters, I will compare Internet practices to traditional media practices (newspapers, radio, television). I will also describe how I obtained my results and link the results to related literature.

Hi everyone.
Please click on the link below to download my updated research plan, or you can view it step by step via the sub categories of the "Thesis Research" section of my blog. After much consideration, I have finally come up with something I am very much looking forward to researching. Check it out.

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18 Weeks: 27 February, 2006 - 30 June, 2006

Week 1: Literature studies / rephrasing research questions / virtual ethnography
Week 2: Literature studies / rephrasing research questions / virtual ethnography
Week 3: Literature studies / rephrasing research questions / virtual ethnography
Week 4: Literature studies / rephrasing research questions / virtual ethnography
Week 5: Literature studies / rephrasing research questions / virtual ethnography / preliminary writing of thesis
Week 6: Virtual ethnography/ writing thesis / field ethnography & physical data collection (Nigeria)
Week 7: Virtual ethnography/ writing thesis / field ethnography & physical data collection (Nigeria)
Week 8: Virtual ethnography/ writing thesis / field ethnography & physical data collection (Nigeria)
Week 9: Analyzing data / writing thesis
Week 10: Analyzing data / writing of thesis
Week 11: Analyzing data / writing of thesis
Week 12: Writing of thesis
Week 13: Writing of thesis
Week 14: Writing of thesis
Week 15: Writing of thesis
Week 16: Writing of thesis
Week 17: Rewriting thesis / editing
Week 18: Rewriting thesis / editing

Since my research is focused on the Internet, and therefore virtual ethnography, the majority of my research will be conducted in computer and library facilities in Belgium and Maastricht. This is because access to computers and the Internet might be a problem during my visit to Nigeria. The objective of the Nigeria trip is to have a physically experience the media culture landscape that I am focusing on, to observe and analyze real world goings on of Nigerians in Nigeria, to communicate with individuals and observe characteristics virtual ethnography cannot provide, and to obtain data that cannot be obtained online (for example, information from organizations that do not have websites). Before I travel to Nigeria, I will also have to complete all my theoretical analysis, as I have only allocated two to three weeks for my trip. Since this is the case, I plan on solely focusing on field ethnography whilst in Nigeria. I will try to plan interviews and visits with Nigerian institutions and individuals before I leave Europe, so that my trip might be as efficient and organized as possible.

While in Nigeria, I also hope to interview individuals to find out what they think about press coverage of Nigerian corruption, especially as it relates to the Internet. For instance, is press coverage trustworthy? Where do various individuals access information related to corruption? I hope to conduct this research and questioning through field ethnography and group surveys. I also hope to visit the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in Nigeria, an anti-corruption governmental organization. There, I hope to interview various officials to investigate into their media-related work and Internet practices. I also hope to compare their "real world" work and practices, with the content on their website, http://www.efccnigeria.org/.

Throughout the virtual research process, I will conduct email interviews with journalists, heads of anti-corruption and media rights organizations, and other individuals who would be of help in answering my questions. I will analyze both Nigerian and foreign press outlets and organizations online, to obtain a more neutral scope of media behavior towards the issue of corruption. I will also try to look at websites that degrade journalistic practices related to corruption. For now, these are the sites that I have in mind, but I am still trying to figure out if I should pick three or four sites as case studies:

Organizations protecting the freedom of press, thus helping to fight corruption:
1) Media Rights Agenda - http://mediarightsagenda.org/index.html
2) United Nations - www.un.org
3) Freedom House - http://www.freedomhouse.org/template.cfm?page=1
4) The Committee to Protect Journalists - http://www.cpj.org/

Organizations dedicated to fighting corruption:
1) Transparency International - http://www.transparency.org/ & http://www.transparency.org/publications/gcr
2) ACID - http://www.antigraft.org/ (Anti-corruption internet database)
3) One World Network - www.oneworld.net
4) United Nations - www.un.org (still need to find the specific organization dealing with free press and corruption coverage)
5) Center for Public Integrity - http://www.publicintegrity.org/ga/country.aspx?cc=ng&act=notebook
6) http://www.againstcorruption.org/BriefingsItem.asp?id=8616
7) Economic and Financial Crimes Commission: http://www.efccnigeria.org/

I will also conduct library and Internet research, to find some additional scholarly texts and articles if need be. I also plan on contacting Dr. Uche Nworah, a Nigerian professor at the University of Greenwich, London, who has done some research on journalistic practices on the Internet. I will inquire into where and how he obtained his research results and also find out if he could give me some helpful advice as I embark on my journey.

Field Research in Nigeria:

I plan on traveling to Nigeria for a month to conduct some of my research. There, I hope to obtain background information and printed press materials on corruption to analyze their stylistic content and source reliability. I also plan on interviewing journalists to find out the reasons behind their coverage of corruption, if they believe traditional media is hindering their coverage, and how they use the Internet in this sense. If possible, I also hope to observe the internet practices (or lack thereof) in newsrooms and media houses. In cases where there are no internet/computer facilities in newsrooms, I will try to interview those in charge to try and find out why, and to also find out if not having such facilities is limiting their freedom of press, thereby limiting their ability to report on corruption. In cases where there are adequate Internet facilities, I would like to investigate if, when, and why the Internet helps them report on corruption more adequately.

Virtual Ethnography:

My virtual ethnography will be done in Maastricht and Brussels, as I travel to and from the two cities. I will visit websites of old and new Nigerian news organizations, analyzing their content and practices as they relate to fighting and exposing corruption. For instance, does some of the content online differ from (or enhance) more traditional content on newspapers and television? I will also visit anti-corruption websites that deal with social activism, to analyze and observe their press content and practices. If possible, I will also participate in these practices by joining forums and email lists. Additionally, I will conduct Google searches on Internet (and traditional) press practices in Nigeria and the reputation and intentions of journalists and media organizations who report (or do not report) on Nigerian corruption. I will also obtain background information on the history of corruption in Nigeria, how prevalent it still is, and what is being done to eradicate it.

If I am not able to obtain the "real world" field data that I need, I will focus more on Internet practices and data. In this instance, most, if not all of the information will be available to me, so long as I use relevant virtual ethnography techniques.

Theoretical Research:

In linking how the press deals with corruption in Nigeria on the "new public sphere" that is the Internet to theory, I would relate my findings to module 5, New public spheres. Studies of radical and alternative media as a mode of social awareness also come to mind when analyzing and observing media rights and anti-corruption organizations. Thus, I have generated n initial list of texts:

Downing, J.D.H. (2001). Social Movements, the Public Sphere, Networks. In Radical Media. Rebellious Communication and Social Movements (pp. 23-35). London:Sage.

Habermas, J. (1964). The Public Sphere: An Encyclopedia Article (1964). In New German Critique 1 (1974) (p. 49).

Habermas, J. (1989). The Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere: An Inquiry into a Category of Bourgeois Society (pp. 141-180). Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

Villarrel Ford, T. & Gil, G. (2001). Radical Internet Use. In J.D.H. Downing, Radical Media. Rebellious Communication and Social Movements (pp. 201-234). London:Sage.

Also, freedom of press and democracy are assumed to be very influential in determining the extent to which the media is able to report and analyze corruption, thus additional texts and theories on cyberdemocracy and freedom of press (which I still need to locate), would also be relevant to my research.

The Transparency International website contains plenty of interesting theoretical analysis regarding how media deal with corruption, including the following list of references:

Bettina Peters, 'The Media's Role: Covering or Covering up Corruption?' in Global Corruption Report 2003 (Transparency International: 2003).

Jeremy Pope 'An Independent and Free Media' in TI Sourcebook 2000: Confronting Corruption: The Elements of a National Integrity System (Transparency International: 2000).

Monroe E. Price and Peter Krug, The Enabling Environment for Free and Independent Media (Oxford University: 2000).

Rick Stapenhurst, The Media's Role in Curbing Corruption (World Bank Institute: 2000).

Ian Beales, Imperfect Freedom: The case for self-regulation in the Commonwealth press (Commonwealth Press Union: 2002).

Karin Deutsch Karlekar (ed.), Freedom of the Press 2004: A Global Survey of Media Independence (Freedom House: 2004).

International Federation of Journalists 'Caught in the Act: Corruption and the Media' (Media for Democracy in Africa Conference, Brussels 21-22 September, 1998).

Answers:

For now, I expect to discover from my research that the Internet has given journalists new and improved potential freedoms to expose, fight, and prevent corruption in Nigeria, but a further question would be, to what extent is this freedom possible, and to what extent is it respected and valued in Nigerian society? I’ve been talking to some Nigerians, and some of them believe that the press has too much freedom, as they are unjustly tarnishing reputations of government workers and other public figures with sensationalist reporting. Others believe that the Internet has given the press a much needed power to play a “watch dog” role over corrupt individuals and institutions. Additionally, the press may be able to use the internet for social activism, exposing humanitarian violations against them and calling on the public to take a stand on corrupt society. However, many Nigerians still lack access to the Internet, thus traditional media or word on the street may still be a more important tool in the fight against corruption. I think that all of these circumstances and answers will relate to my research findings, and I also hope to discover new surprising and interesting findings along the way.

This is where my research comes in. I want to investigate into the impact the Internet has had on Nigerian corruption coverage. It is without a doubt that the Internet has had a great impact on contemporary media culture, dubbed as a "new public sphere" where anybody with access can more freely express their opinions in this new somewhat democratic forum with relative anonymity, to a greater extent than older media. However, many of the aforementioned and potentially utopian ideals are constantly debated, but the fact remains that the Internet has created more venues for discourse and easier information distribution and dissemination. Thus, in linking it back to my topic, how have such characteristics of the Internet influenced the state of corruption coverage in Nigeria? It seems as if the Internet has given Nigerian journalists, and journalists around the globe, new and improved chances to deal with Nigerian corruption with decreased fear of persecution, censorship, and violent rebuttal. The advent of the Internet also seems to have seen an increase in media rights organizations that protect and promote those investigating, examining, and exposing corruption. These organizations still insist that violations against the press for speaking out against corrupt governments are as strong (if not stronger) than ever, and the Internet would help them to thus eradicate and prevent such human rights violations. Indeed, all of my aforementioned assumptions and observations must be supported through research, which brings me to my main research question:

Central Question: What is the impact of the Internet on media coverage of corruption in Nigeria?

Sub-questions:
1) What are the reasons behind media coverage of corruption in Nigeria? (Should I focus on Nigerian media alone, or diff. media?)
2) How have traditional media (newspapers, television, and radio) covered corruption in Nigeria, and what have been the consequences of such coverage?
3) What are the possibilities and limitations of dealing with Nigerian corruption on the Internet?
4) What is the government response towards such Internet practices (policies, regulation, etc.)?
5) What is the public's response (both abroad and at home) to corruption coverage on the Internet?

With these questions, I hope to confirm many of my observations and assumptions, and also generate new and exciting results.