COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF SPACE AWARENESS AMONG MEDIA PRACTITIONERS IN NIGERIA
- Paper number
IAC-12,E1,6,3,x13966
- Author
Mrs. Lami Ali-Fadiora, African Regional Center for Space Science and Technology Education in English (ARCSSTE-E), Nigeria
- Year
2012
- Abstract
The role of the media is to inform, educate and entertain. The media also sets the local or national discourse. While the media has succeeded in doing this in some other areas like politics, health and economy, it is yet to make its impact on the space sector. This is not unconnected with the level of awareness and knowledge of media practitioners. This paper is a survey of the level of knowledge of space issues and activities of media practitioners in Nigeria. Two classes of media practitioners are considered: print media and broadcast media. In the print media, editors and reporters were surveyed. In the broadcast media, media house owners, producers and presenters were surveyed. This assessment also gives a feel of what the public and policy makers know, since they get most of their information from the media. The paper concludes on recommendations on how to harness the media for better information and education of the public and policy makers. As more attention is given to the space sector in the media, it will spur up interest of young people in science and engineering disciplines. It will also increase the level of investment in space science research and technology applications, as policy makers and decision makers will be more knowledgeable about the benefits from such investment.
- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
(absent)