| Abstract: |
Digital platforms are reshaping journalism worldwide, but inNigeria's fragile media ecosystem, their impact is especially acute. Traditional news values like accuracy, balance, and civic responsibility are increasingly in tension with platform-driven metrics such as clicks, likes, and shares. This paper examines how Nigerian newsrooms negotiate these pressures and what this means for journalism's democratic role in the era of digital disruption. The study is guided by three questions: How do Nigerian journalists and editors adapt to the metrication of news? What impact do platform algorithms have on editorial decision-making and news values? And how do indigenous factors such as political influence, infrastructural constraints, and audience fragmentation shape these transformations? Methodologically, the research draws on qualitative interviews with journalists and editors from both legacy outlets and digital-native platforms, complemented by analysis of viral Nigerian news stories across Facebook, Twitter/X, and digital news sites. Findings suggest that while metrics create opportunities for audience engagement and economic survival, they also incentivize sensationalism, celebrity coverage, and political spin at the expense of investigative and developmental journalism. Nigerian journalists describe a form of “dual accountability”: to platform-driven audiences and to professional ethics. The paper argues that rethinking journalistic values in Nigeria requires navigating algorithmic pressures while foregrounding local sociocultural contexts. By situating Nigeria within global debates, the study highlights pathways toward inclusive and democratic journalism in the algorithmic public sphere |
