The Role of Editorials in Shaping Government Policies: A Study of Lagos State Government

Abstract

This study was carried out to determine the influence of editorials on the of government policies in Lagos state, Nigeria. Qualitative research desingn was adopted, while in-depth interview was employed to elicit data for analysis. The study found out that many policies and decisions of government were arrived at with the help of some editorials. Though, the study also discovered that government officials select the type of editorials to believe particularly as they relate to the style and ownership of the medium which publishes them, such 'unethical' editorials are still being analysed for possibility of some data, facts and biases. The finding is such that the power of editorial to influence government policies is enormous and cannot be overemphasized as the in-depth interviews conducted to ascertain this confirmed that editorials are held in high esteem by the government. The study recommended that newspaper houses should endeavour to employ the best hands to write their editorials as such editorials could be the strength of the newspapers.