International Journal of Sub-Saharan African Research (IJSSAR)

Background: Digital technologies have disrupted traditional journalistic verification, creating an ecosystem where speed increasingly supersedes accuracy. Despite existing scholarship in this direction, there remains a gap in understanding how editors negotiate these competing imperatives, especially in developing systems like Nigeria.
Objective: This study examined how the demand for immediacy influences journalistic judgment, verification routines, and credibility in Nigeria's digital media environment.
Method: Using a qualitative descriptive design, semi-structured interviews were conducted with six purposively selected Nigerian legacy and online newspaper editors based in Lagos, Nigeria. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. Results: The speed-accuracy paradox compromises verification and weakens gatekeeping. Algorithms act as "shadow editors," prioritising virality and commercial survival over factual depth. A gap exists between awareness of digital verification tools and operational proficiency, leading editors to rely on traditional, human-centric methods. This speed-oriented culture erodes professional ethics and identity.
Conclusion: The accuracy-first mandate remains a non-negotiable requirement for journalistic survival. Operating with a "publish now, correct later" mentality compromises journalism's social contract, making it indistinguishable from digital noise.
Unique Contribution: The study integrates Speed-Accuracy Tradeoff and Gatekeeping theories to demonstrate that verification failures are institutional and structural, not just individual lapses.
Key Recommendation: Media houses must transition from tool awareness to operational proficiency, establish independent quality assurance firewalls, and prioritise factual sovereignty over chronological dominance.