The role of the media in changing the mindsets of voters in the past elections is arguably invaluable. The grounds of Government, in choosing media houses on the basis of putative party support rather than maximum publicity, has not yielded the effect they desired, according to election results.
It is natural for ostensibly pro-government newspapers to be given a quid proquo, but this does not argue that patently mass circulation newspapers known by the State House staff should not also eat from the crumbs that fall from the bounteous table of the most favoured newspapers.
The fact is that the messages in these briefcase newspapers have only a trickle effect and their end result is to get kick-backs to their givers.
What is not known to the public, at large, is that the bedrock of newspaper productions is not the sales but advertisement. Without them no newspaper can churn out the quantity and quality of readable material as is being done. This fact was borne out during our civil war when newspapers publicized only four anemic pages owing to lack of money to produce many more pages with so much news all over the place.
It would serve the interests of the Government better if they cease from their cockeyed financial administration and work towards a magnanimous and patriotic approach to publicity.
We are afraid that their present modus operandi is not paying them their desired dividends.
Accent on the social media for transmission of messages can only affect the mindsets of a relatively few sophisticated citizens. It is not a grass root approach much trumpeted by the incumbent regime.