Abstract:
Promoting Child Right issues in a society where children are being abused and neglected is one of the social responsibility roles of the media. The Broadcast Journalist is expected to give voice to this vulnerable group in our society as unfolding events depicts their marginalized status on daily basis. It is on this premise that this study examined the awareness and attitude of Broadcast Journalists in the promotion of Child Right Act in South East Nigeria. The study sought to find out the level of awareness of Child Right Act among Broadcast Journalists; their level of knowledge of its contents; their attitude to child right issues as well as the extent to which they promote child right in Nigeria. The study employed the survey research design and the questionnaire was the instrument used to elicit behavioural responses from a sample of 300 registered Journalists in South East Nigeria covering three randomly selected states: (Anambra, Enugu and Ebonyi States). The social responsibility theory and the perception theories were used to explain the phenomenon under investigation. The findings reveal among other things that all (100%) the Broadcast Journalists in South East Nigeria are aware of the Child Right Act in Nigeria; their knowledge level rating stood at 75% as against 82% who said they know the content of the Child Right Act. There was a preponderance of positive attitude towards Child Right issues as the study found that Broadcast Journalists did promote Child Right Act in their reportage to a large extent. In conclusion, awareness does not pre-suppose knowledge of an issue just as level of knowledge is determined by constant exposure. It is recommended among other things that Journalists should hold state government accountable on issues of public interest as it concerns the domestication of the Child Right Act in all the states of Nigeria.
