Evaluation of Political News Reportage in Nigeria’s Vanguard and The Guardian Newspapers

Ndoma J. Brown¹, Israel W. Udomisor²

¹Department of Mass Communication, Cross River University of Technology, Calabar, Nigeria.
²Department of Mass Communication, University of Maiduguri, Maiduguri, Nigeria.

DOI: 10.4236/ajc.2015.31002                

Abstract

This study was conducted to assess how political issues were treated in Nigeria’s newspapers, by assessing: the ratio of political news to the other subject matters, the readers’ interest given to political stories and the level of prominence attached to these stories by the way of placement and importance. Content analysis was used to gather data, and the study sample was derived through stratified sampling method. A total of 36 daily publications of the two newspapers were content analyzed from a pool of sample drawn through stratified random sampling technique from issues of the newspapers published within the three months period—April to June, 2013. The data from these newspapers were analyzed using independent t-test statistical technique. Findings showed that political issues were not given adequate attention in the two newspapers, and were mostly tailored towards government’s interests. The recommendations among others were that the Nigerian newspapers, in general, should render vivid and unbiased reportage of political issues, as well as scale-up political content in publications as a way of consolidating political consciousness in Nigeria.

Keywords

News, Frequency, Placement, Prominence, Proximity and Interest

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

References

[1]	Berelson, B. (1952). Content Analysis in Communication Research. Michigan: Free Press.
[2]	Bledcom (2014). http://www.bledcom.com/uploads/documents/cilliers_steyn_grobler.pdf
[3]	Blumler, J. G. & Gurevitch, M. (1981). Politicians and the Press. In D. Nimmo, & K. Sanders (Eds.) Handbook of Political Communication (pp. 467-493). Beverly Hills California: Sage Publications.
[4]	Brookfield, S. (1986). Media Power and the Development of Media Literature: An Adult Education Interpretation. Harvard Educational Review, 56, 151-168.
[5]	Brown, N. J. (2013). A Book: It’s Cosmetic and Societal Implications. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science, 3, 47.
[6]	Brown, N. J. (2014). Hypothetical Journalism in MACOSA Experience: The Nation and Its Internal Readership Status. International Organisation of Scientific Research, 5, 19.
[7]	Coe. (2014). http://www.coe.uga.edu/leap/adminpolicy/dissertations_pdf/2006/osborne_2006_phd.pdf
[8]	Daramola, I. (2003). Introduction to Mass Communication (2nd ed.). Lagos: Rothan Press.
[9]	Ekwo, U. A. (2014). http://cmpimedia.org/Wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Tpwards-Africa%E2%80%99s-Renaisssance-Analyzing-the-Influence-of-Media-convergence-on-Democracy-and-Governce-in-Nigeria...pdf
[10]	Fico, F. (1984). How Lawmakers Use Reporters: Differences in Specialization and Goals. Journalism Quarterly, 61, 793-800, 821.
[11]	Ghorpade, S. (1986). Retrospect and Prospect: The Information Environment and Policy in India. International Communication Gazette, 38, 5-28. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/001654928603800102
[12]	Haque, M. (1986). Is Development News More Salient Than Human Interest Stories in Indian Elite Press? International Communication Gazette, 38, 83-99. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/001654928603800107
[13]	McQuail, D., & Windahl, S. (1981). Communication Models for the Study of Mass Communication. New York: Longman Group.
[14]	NML (2014). http://nml.ru.ac.za/blog/guy-begger/2007/12/05/spot-similarity.html
[15]	Sinha, K. A. (1986). Communication and Rural Development: The Indian Scene. International Communication Gazette, 38, 59-70. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/001654928603800105
[16]	Soola, E. O. (1995). Demystifying the Development Process: The Role of Communication in Community Participation for Sustainable Development. Africa Media Review, 9, 16-37.
[17]	Udomisor, I. W. (2002). Problems and Prospects of Reporting Conflict in a Democracy: The Editor’s Challenge. In U. A. Pate (Ed.), Introduction to Conflict Reporting in Nigeria (pp. 84-98). Lagos: Frankard Publishers.
[18]	Udomisor, I. W., & Bwala, S. J. (2010). Newspaper Coverage of Development and Cultural Issues in Nigeria. The Nigerian Journal of Communication, 8, 25-42.
[19]	Uzochukwu, C. E., & Dunu, I. V. (2010). Socio-Cultural Variables, Audience Perception and Use of Roll-Back Malaria Media Campaigns in South-East Nigeria. The Nigerian Journal of Communication, 8, 67-88.
[20]	Wimmer, R. D., & Dominick, J. R. (2006). Mass Media Research: An Introduction (8th ed.). Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth Publishing.