Mass Media Effectiveness in the Prevention of Crime in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria

The mass media is seen as a prime source of information on crime and safety. Despite this important contribution, the mass media if unchecked could destabilize facts about the society through their unethical practices, as the code of ethics designed by media practitioners and associations do not seem to be binding on members, who also seem not to abide by them. This study was conducted to examine students’ views on the effectiveness of mass media in the prevention of crime in Akwa Ibom State. To achieve this objective, a survey design was adopted. Three research hypotheses were formulated and tested using Regression and Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient. The results of the test showed that mass media in Akwa Ibom State have a significant impact on crime prevention. Social responsibility theory was adopted as a theoretical framework. It was found that problems such as corruption, poor communication channels, illiteracy, inadequate infrastructure, poor implementation framework, political instability, poor leadership, unnecessary pressure on media rights mostly by executives, etc., posed great challenges to the achievement of media objectives. It was concluded that mass media plays significant roles in crime prevention; the government have a significant influence on mass media in preventing crime; there is a significant relationship between mass media challenges and their effectiveness in crime prevention in Akwa Ibom State. It was therefore recommended among other things that the government's influence on the media should be discouraged at all costs. Rather, an independent institution or commission should be established to control and protect media organizations.