Newspaper Coverage of Irregular Migration in Nigeria: A Content Analytic Study of the Punch, the Guardian, and the Sun (2020-2023) (Published)
This study examined how three leading Nigerian newspapers, namely The Punch, The Guardian, and The Sun, covered irregular migration between January 2020 and May 2023. Anchored in agenda-setting, framing, agenda-building, gatekeeping, and social responsibility theories, the study employed a quantitative content analysis design. A sample of 362 articles was drawn from a population of 3,741 newspaper editions using the Taro Yamane formula and a stratified random sampling technique, with strata defined by newspaper and time period. A structured coding sheet was used to capture data on frequency and prominence, dominant frames, sources of information, and tone and slant of coverage. Findings showed that migration coverage was numerically sustained but spatially marginal, with only 13.3% of articles placed on front pages and 79.8% confined to inside pages. Episodic framing (74.0%) considerably outweighed thematic framing (26.0%), while the security (27.1%), humanitarian (23.5%), and criminal justice (21.0%) frames jointly accounted for 71.6% of coverage. Government agencies and international organisations supplied 49.5% of all cited sources, whereas migrants and returnees accounted for only 7.8%, indicating a pronounced source hierarchy. Negative tone characterised 48.6% of articles, migrants were portrayed as victims in 54.7% of reports, and stigmatising terminology appeared in 39.5% of articles despite explicit guidance from international ethical bodies. The Guardian consistently demonstrated more balanced and ethically grounded reporting than The Punch and The Sun. The study concludes that Nigerian newspapers privilege institutional voices and episodic drama over sustained, contextualised, and migrant-centred reporting, with implications for journalism practice, media policy, and migration governance in the Global South.
Keywords: Content analysis, Framing, Nigeria, agenda setting., irregular migration, newspaper coverage
Contextual Analysis of the Political Contents of Nigerian National Newspapers Editorials in the 2011 and 2015 General Elections (Published)
The mass media clarifies issues; as was the case in the 2011 and 2015 elections. Whereas campaigns in the period were fraught with ideological justification, the electorates had to make choices. National newspapers editorial pronouncements needed to be established to ascertain their contributions to democratic enthronement. With the six geo-political zones of the nation, 5 national dailies: The Sun, The Punch, This Day, Leadership and Daily Trust were considered. The constructed and continuous week consideration resulted in 14 days, per daily/annum as sample size, using the code sheet with the content analysis research design. With reliability of 0.89 coefficient and employing simple percentages, it was found that the political contents of Nigerian national newspapers in year 2011 outnumbered those of year 2015 notwithstanding that general entries increased in 2015 than 2011.Topical editorials were advised.
Keywords: Content analysis, Contextual Analysis, Editorials, Elections, Nigerian National Newspapers, Political Contents.