A Professor of Journalism and Communication Studies Ismail Ibraheem has advised that the country requires a media transformation that prioritises factual reporting, context, and critical analysis, while adopting a more nuanced approach to covering issues.
Ibraheem said this while presenting his inaugural lecture, titled, ‘Casino Journalism and The End Of History,’ at the University of Lagos.
He said that casino journalism contributed to a shallow understanding of history by focusing on sensational stories that captured attention but failed to provide context or depth.
He maintained that this was especially dangerous in a country like Nigeria, where historical events, such as the Biafran War or the military dictatorship era, continued to shape national identity and political dynamics.
“Without proper contextualisation, the media risks distorting the public’s understanding of these historical moments, reducing them to sensational headlines instead of complex events that require thoughtful examination. On the other hand, the “End of History” mindset in Nigerian media discourages critical reflection on the past and its lessons from the present. This results in a superficial understanding of current events.”
Meanwhile, Ibraheem’s lecture was the fifth inaugural lecture of the 2024/25 academic session.
According to him, the event carries special significance, being only the third inaugural lecture in the 58-year history of the Department of Mass Communication and, notably, the first-ever delivered by an alumnus of the department.
He described casino journalism as a style of media reporting in which sensationalism, entertainment, and spectacle overshadow thorough investigation and factual accuracy.
Ibraheem explained that it derived its name from the notion that journalism, instead of being a serious pursuit of truth, had become a game in which the media stakes its credibility for high ratings, clicks, advertising revenues, and personal gains.
“The concept of casino journalism is my critique of the evolving media landscape, one where randomness, sensationalism, and profit-driven motives dominate the journalistic enterprise. In such a landscape, journalistic integrity and the public good are often sacrificed.
For short-term gain and sheer adventurous clicks. The players, for real they are, want to pop up everywhere online without being sought and are quick to offer bait of data often to enable unsuspecting audiences to lap up their hogwash. They do not stand by any fact.
“They retreat readily once confronted with the facts. It’s simply the typical casino product they have chosen. There is no trajectory of any precious legacy and no signal of any aspiration to enduring distinction either.”
He described ‘The “end of history,” “reflects the existential risk these practices pose to journalism’s role as a cornerstone of democracy. When journalism loses its compass, we risk a society devoid of critical inquiry, accountability, and truth—a society where history ceases to evolve in its truest sense.”
He explained that while the media were recognised for their role as watchdogs of the government and holding the government accountable on behalf of the public, the overbearing control the owners of media institutions had over predominant narratives in the media put many questions marks on the satisfactory performance of the constitutionally guaranteed roles of the media.
