self censorship within the newsroom: Investigating editorial practices after a crisis(Interview data)
Description
This is the data repository for the raw, anonymized dataset of the study exploring self-censorship within Nigerian newsrooms following the #EndSARS protests. The research focuses on how journalists navigate the use of user-generated content (UGC) under increased government scrutiny, sanctions, and fines. This research was part of a fulfilment for a Masters degree at the school of journalism, media and information of the University of Sheffield, the study involved in-depth interviews with 12 journalists from four major Nigerian news organizations affected by sanctions or fines in the past 24 months. The study examines journalistic practices over a three-year period and identifies four primary strategies—conformity, avoidance, equilibrium, and cryptic approaches—employed to maintain professional standards while managing legal and safety challenges. The findings provide empirical evidence on the complex dynamics of self-censorship and UGC use in crisis reporting, laying the groundwork for future research on journalistic coping strategies in similar contexts.