International records / OpenAlex research

Media, Governance, and Economic Development in Nigeria: Navigating Freedom, Accountability, and Digital Disruption

The Nigerian media landscape has grown in reach, speed, and complexity, raising the question of whether greater media freedom and digital penetration have translated into better governance and stronger economic development. This study draws on panel data covering 2011 to 2023, a computational analysis of 4.6 million news reports, and a nationally representative survey of 2,200 respondents conducted in 2023. The findings suggest that an increase in Nigeria’s Media Sustainability Index is positively associated with improvements in governance, particularly in curbing corruption, with a 0.31-point…