Newspaper coverage of rural banditry in Nigeria – a study of the Guardian and Daily Trust Newspaper

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Abstract

Newspaper coverage of rural banditry in Nigeria – a study of the Guardian and Daily Trust Newspaper.

This study examined newspaper reports of rural banditry in Nigeria, as reported by Daily Trust and Guardian newspaper. It attempted to assess the various newspaper content in which the“rural banditry” appears or are published based on the tone and direction of editorial content on the“rural banditry”, most frequently used terminologies, word(s), or phrases in the reportage of the“rural banditry” and to examine the prominence given to the problems of banditry by Daily Trust and The Guardian newspapers. Content analysis was adopted for the work upon which the reported contents studied were editorials, spot stories, features, opinions, syndicated columns, cartoons, letters to the editor, pictures and interviews. The study was premised on the media framing theory. Findings indicated among others that the Daily Trust newspaper gave more coverage and prominence to the coverage of the rural banditry in Nigeria.  This showed that Daily Trust newspaper framed the issue to be a crisis/conflict situation while The Guardian newspaper framed it to be an act of terrorism through their frequented use of the words Boko Haram/herdsmen, terrorists, militias, and killer-herdsmen.  The study, therefore, recommends among others that Daily Trust and The Guardian newspapers should assign maximum prominence on reportage of critical issues especially ones that affect the security of lives and properties..