212 Journal of Communication and Media Research, Vol. 10, No. 1, April 2018 Judges versus journalists in public sphere: The limit of privacy and public interest *JAMIU FOLARIN Abstract The judiciary and the media are two institutions which play vital roles in the society. In Nigeria and many other African countries, the judiciary and the media are considered the last hope of the common man. However, as the officers of these two institutions discharge their constitutional responsibilities, there arise conflicts resulting from different role interpretations and execution. In the course of this, misunderstanding ensues between the two watchdogs. Against this background, this study examines the relationship between judges and journalists as debated in the public sphere. It looks at the limitation of privacy and public interest. It uses a case that involved journalists and a judge of the High Court in Ogun State, South West, Nigeria as a periscope to analyse the issue with data from social media platform and Google search engine. It established that there were mutual suspicions between the two institutions when it comes to the discharge of their duties. After careful analysis of the views of both parties, the paper recommends that a forum be organized by the joint efforts of the two institutions to better understand the tenets guiding the conducts of the officials of the press and the judiciary. Key Words: Journalists, Judges, Privacy, Public Interest, Public Place. Introduction Institutions play vital role in the development of any society. The success of developed countries is tied to effectiveness of their institutions. Policies of government cannot be successfully implemented without enduring institutions that would continue to function irrespective of the government in power or personalities at the helms of affairs. The constitution and other forms of rules and regulation in any society are like paper tigers in the absence of enduring institutions that will ensure their effectiveness. Challenges of many African countries can be traced to abuse of the various institutions. The judiciary and the media are two institutions which play vital roles in the society. While the Judiciary is referred to as the third estate of the realm, media occupies the fourth estate. One of the principles of democracy stipulates that there should be check and balances as well as separation of power among the three arms of government- Executive, Legislature and the Judiciary. The constitution however empowered the media to be the watchdog over the three arms of government. _____________________ That is why it earned itself the title of the Fourth Estate of the Realm. In Nigeria and many other African countries, the judiciary and the media are considered the last hope of the common man. This is because; the masses and the voiceless sought the refuge of the court and the media when they have no other place to turn to. As the officers of these two institutions discharged their constitutional responsibilities, there arise conflicts resulting from different role interpretations and execution. While the judges try to adjudicate in cases before them by ensuring that justice is served; the journalists employed their constitutional power to report the events and put a search light on the court proceedings. In the course of this, misunderstanding ensued between the two watchdogs. It has become the tradition of journalists to put the activities of the judiciary under searchlight. They do not only cover the proceedings of the courts; they also investigate *Jamiu Folarin is a Lecturer in the Department of Mass Communication, Crescent University, Sapon, Abeokuta, Nigeria and a PhD Student in the Department of Mass Communication, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State, Nigeria. JCMR Journal of Communication and Media Research, Vol. 10, No. 1, April 2018, 212-222