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Child marriage is a problem that has continued to attract global attention. The media have been identified as critical to the fight against the scourge as it discusses the capacity to raise awareness of the issue as well as trigger action in solving the problem. The report of the alleged abduction of a minor, Ese Oruru by one Yunusa Dahiru for marriage jolted the nation and sparked public outcry for her release. This study explored newspaper framing of the incident. Drawing from qualitative frame analysis, it examined how Punch and Daily Trust newspapers framed the alleged abduction saga. The study found that there was contrastive framing of the incident with Punch newspaper portraying the issue as abduction while Daily Trust newspaper depicted it as elopement. The influence of socio-cultural leanings of these papers on the contrastive framing is discussed. The implication of the divergent framing of the saga on the fight against child marriage is highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The emergence of information communication technologies has transformed communication in Nigeria. The mass media once regarded as the most vocal and vibrant press in Africa is losing public trust as people easily source for critical information from social media instead of the media due to their patrimonial relationship with the state. The potentials of these information communication technologies in holding government accountable and enhancing journalism practice has endangers the state. Consequently, attempts by the state at regulating social media and the mass media through draconian bills such as protection from internet falsehood and manipulation bill of 2019, and the National Communication for the prohibition of Hate Speech bill 2019. Using Habermas notion of the public sphere coupled with semi-structured interviews with 12 media practitioners, this paper examines ways in which such regulatory frameworks have impacted on both the media and democratic cultures of the Nigerian state. The paper argues that social media and its convergence in the newsroom has expounded the democratic culture due to its affordances of speedy and accountability. However, the potentials of social media and its affordance has been misused. Consequently, the contestation between the state, public and media on how social media and its convergence in the newsroom can be effectively regulated. The media and public do not trust the state as they blame the state for the rise of fake news (misinformation and disinformation). On the other hand, the state has blamed the desire for profit and commodification of news for the rise of fake news. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prominence accorded the environment and the importance of public engagement in sustainable development issues during the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development underscores the role of environmental information in achieving local environmental sustainability goals. The paper examines the role of the Nigerian press, one of the most vibrant in sub-Saharan Africa, in reporting environmental issues at the turn of the twenty-first century. Two national newspapers, The Daily Times and The Guardian were content analysed for coverage of environmental issues, including climate change, for the 5-year period 1999-2003. The degree of prominence and nature of environmental reports are assessed. The results show that energy issues dominate reports on the environment in both newspapers while climate change, a critical global environmental issue is accorded very little attention. Both newspapers assessed are yet to actively feature environmental articles tailored to issues of everyday life as majority of environmental publications are news reports. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the chief features of the Third World is how often regimes change. These regime changes have many implications both for internal political stability in the Third World and in the relationships between the Third World and the superpowers. In the United States, it is generally the media that inform the American people about these changes and their implications for the United States. This paper analyzes the coverage of the two most recent military coups in Nigeria by the U.S. press. Our analysis indicates that if a government that is supportive of American interests is overthrown, and the personalities and policies of the new leaders are not readily apparent to the press, the change is greeted with hostilities by the U.S. press. However, as soon as it becomes apparent that the new regime will not threaten the economic and political interests of the United States, the press rallies behind the new regime and begins to proclaim it as a savior. The press lamented the overthrow of Shagari's government and proclaimed the coup a setback for democracy in Africa. However, within a few weeks of this judgment, the coup that overthrew President Shagari was hailed as necessary for the political stability and economic prosperity of Nigeria. When the military government that seized power from Shagari was itself thrown out of office in a military coup, the new regime was welcomed by the press. We also found the U.S. press utilizes a biased and distorted framework in its coverage of political events in the Third World. The framework used in the Nigerian case asserts that all economic and political crises emanate from tribalism, corruption, and the criminal tendencies of Nigerians. We argue in this paper that this perspective, which informs the coverage of political events in Nigeria by the U.S. press, does not allow it to present valid and truthful explanations of political changes in Nigeria. We also argue that this shallow coverage is done deliberately so as to obscure... [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the role of literacy concepts (information, news, media, and digital literacies), as an intervention strategy, in improving fake news knowledge, detection skills, and curtailing the tendency to share fake news among social media users. In doing so, this study used the inoculation theory and message interpretation process (MIP) theory to provide a useful explanation for literacy concept intervention. An experiment was carried out to test the effects of literacy intervention on the treatment group which were later compared with the results deduced from the control group who did not receive any intervention. It was found that participants in the experimental group demonstrated a higher knowledge of fake news, better ability to detect fake news and shared more accurate news articles, as compared to their counterparts who were in the control group. Implications for research and practice were discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The multi-layered participation that has found its way into networked media spaces in recent times have contributed to increased collaboration between mainstream journalists and ordinary citizens as co-creators of media contents. With these progressively blurring boundaries in the news production process, the need to ascertain the evaluation of mainstream media practitioners about the credibility and legitimacy of alternative media platforms have never assumed a more social and professional relevance in the journalism sphere. This study adopts Shoemaker and Reese's Hierarchy of Influence model as a theoretical template to investigate the extent to which individual, routine, and organisational level influences affect journalists' perception of citizen journalism credibility. This research is contextualised in Nigeria, an environment with a distinctly dissimilar political, economic, and cultural landscape to the countries of prior research. Findings from a random sample survey (n = 397) revealed, contrary to previous assumption, that journalists' judgement of citizen journalism as moderately credible, is mostly a consequence of individual-level factors (demographics, career length) and routine level factors (frequency of online media use), rather than by organisational level influences (media affiliation, professional ethics). The peculiarity of Nigerian journalism landscape places professional allegiance and media structures at the lowest level of influences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although previous inquiry into resistance to the polio vaccines in northern Nigeria has been launched from several disciplines, inquiry has been limited to the 2003 revolt and has rarely been informed by theory. This study drew on the culture-centered approach to health communication to argue that the exclusion of marginalized communities from decision-making by the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) resulted in a vaccine resistance which found expression in health activism that engaged the local news media. To recover the excluded voices, this study examined community members' narratives of resistance to the vaccines in Nigerian news from 2012 to 2018. Upon providing a backdrop for these narratives through a chronology of GPEI milestones in northern Nigeria developed from Nigerian newspapers, the study then engaged with 168 speech acts of resistance in Nigerian news to co-construct alternative meanings of health. Drawing on a local cultural meaning of the vaccines as covertly carrying out a Western family-planning agenda, narrators negligibly associated "family planning" with health. Narrators further articulated health as access to foods and as religious practice. These findings have implications for the inclusion of voices from sub-Saharan Africa in GPEI decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The media are viewed as playing an important role in promoting economic development by educating the public, framing the agenda for discussion, serving as a watchdog and promoting corporate governance. This article examines some characteristics of the print coverage in Nigeria, Ghana and Uganda of oil, gas and mining, to see whether it lives up to these lofty goals. A content analysis was done of 788 articles that appeared in Nigerian, Ghanaian and Ugandan newspapers from 2007-2009 to determine how informative their coverage of the extractive sector was. Measurements included the use of jargon; the explanation of context and background; the number, type and range of sources. The conclusion was that much of the reporting was news-focused and did not include substantial discussion about the effects of oil and gas extraction or the policy implications. Nor did the articles provide a balance of sources who could articulate a range of perspectives. Differences were more pronounced between periodicals than countries. Delineated are some ways in which press coverage could be improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental information has been described as central to the issues of solid waste management and disposal. This study investigated the availability and accessibility of environmental information to the solid waste policy formulators and implementors with regard to the media/channels used for disseminating environmental information to the public. A descriptive survey design was adopted for the study. A purposive sampling technique was used to select the sample and the method produced 205 respondents that consisted of 185 Policy Implementors and 20 Policy Formulators. A total of 147 cases were finally analyzed, which included 16 Policy Formulators (80% of total sample) and 131 Policy Implementors (71% of total sample). Data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics such as percentages and frequency counts. Findings show that the Policy Implementors preferred the use of personal contact as the channel for disseminating environmental information, whereas the Policy Formulators relied on the use of posters, radio/TV talks, and professional meetings. Some barriers to disseminating information to the public included: lack of access to information sources, lack of standards for acquisition of information, and lack of funds to publish information materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A research-to-action collaboration sought to understand and respond to barriers to female genital fistula treatment in Nigeria and Uganda. This was guided by appreciative inquiry, a participatory approach for transformative programing with four phases: (1) inquire, (2) imagine, (3) innovate, and (4) implement. Through this process, partners designed and refined a treatment barrier reduction intervention using multiple communication channels to disseminate a consistent fistula screening algorithm and provide transportation vouchers to those screening positive. Partnership between an implementation organization, a research institution, and local community partners enabled data-driven design and patient-centered implementation to address specific barriers experienced by women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evidence suggests that despite high knowledge of family planning (FP), unwanted pregnancies and birth rates remain high among young Nigerians. There is a critical gap in understanding the nexus between exposure to FP information and contraception practices among this population. This study aimed to fill this gap and tested a pathway of the impact of media exposure to FP messages on modern contraceptive use. Data came from a 2018 cross-sectional baseline survey of young people aged 15-24 in three urban centers in Nigeria - Lagos, Kaduna, and Kano. This was part of an impact evaluation of a television-based drama designed to improve contraceptive use among young individuals. The study was limited to 777 young men and women who were sexually active. We found evidence of the mediation effect of media exposure to FP messages on partner discussion about FP, which in turn was associated with an increased likelihood of modern contraceptive use. Contraceptive self-efficacy also had positive associations with contraception. Our study elucidated a potential pathway through which media communication programs can significantly contribute to increased modern contraceptive use and underlined the importance of providing young people in Nigeria with opportunities to learn and practice obtaining and using contraception. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: While media campaigns are documented to be useful for increasing the uptake of family planning, very little is known about the population prevalence and correlates of exposure to mass media family planning messages among post-delivery women in Nigeria. We aimed to address this void by exploring the underlying factors that explain disparities in exposure to mass media family planning messages among post-delivery women in Nigeria.Methods: Our study was a secondary analysis of the Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey, a nationally representative dataset of men and women. Using logistic regression techniques and drawing on the structural influence model of health communication, we explored post-delivery women's (N = 13,889) exposure to mass media family planning messages in Nigeria.Results: We found that 32% of post-delivery women were exposed to family planning messages on mass media in Nigeria. At the bivariate level, Muslim women were less likely to be exposed to mass media family planning messages compared with Christian women (odds ratio [OR] 0.39; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.36, 0.41); however, the OR became positive once we controlled for structural determinants such as household wealth and education (OR 1.22; 95% CI 1.07, 1.40). In the multivariate analysis, we found that traditionalist women (OR 0.29; 95% CI 0.14, 0.58) and women from rural areas (OR 0.69; 95% CI 0.62, 0.76) were less likely to be exposed to such messages. Moreover, richer, better educated, and employed women were more likely to be exposed to mass media family planning messages compared with their poorer, less educated and unemployed counterparts. Similarly, living in the South West region was positively associated with higher odds of being exposed to such messages.Conclusion: Findings were largely consistent with the structural influence model of health communication, as highlighted by inequalities in exposure to mass media messages. Based on these findings, we provide several policy recommendations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Nigeria Police Force is seen in many quarters as the proverbial leopard that will not change its spots, given the circumstances surrounding its establishment. But in the face of novel security challenges in the country, prime among which is internal terrorism, it is essential for the police authorities to tackle the image crisis. This article examines the image crisis of the Nigeria Police Force, tracing it to the period of its establishment through the First and Second Republics. The article concludes with suggestions on how to tackle the image crisis and make the police a reference point for policing in Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study compared the efficacy of a multi-modal intervention (MMI) and a psychodynamic oriented group intervention (POGI) on antisocial behavior among Nigerian adolescents. A pretest-posttest design was used. Forty-one adolescents drawn from the streets of a Nigerian city (N=20), and a state child correction facility (N=21) participated in the study. The children were randomly assigned to a MMI, POGI and waiting list control (WLC) groups. Ages ranged from 10 to 18 years (mean =14.5; SD=2.1). Data collected were analyzed using multiple group comparison procedures. Results showed that MMI significantly reduced self-reported antisocial behavior of the adolescents as compared to WLC and POGI, respectively. A multi-modal intervention approach appears to be more effective in treating antisocial behavior in adolescents than a psychodynamic oriented group intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study characterized farmer users and nonusers of mass media as channels of agricultural information. A structured interview was used to obtain data from 316 randomly selected farmers in Benue State, Nigeria. The data were subjected to discriminant analysis and the following socioeconomic characteristics significantly differed at a 5% level of probability between users and nonusers of mass media (and their F-ratio values): education (6.30), income (5.12), gender (4.84), and socioeconomic status (4.83). Farmer users of mass media are therefore those who have good level of education, belong to a relatively high income bracket, and are typically male and of a relatively high socioeconomic status. Farmers’ socioeconomic characteristics should be considered in planning mass media usage in agricultural information dissemination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the extent of agreement between male and female farmers' usage of mass media. Data collected from 250 farmers in Benue, Nigeria using a structured questionnaire showed that 79.6% could read and write and revealed a disparity in the use of television, mobile phones, the Internet, and newspapers. The Mann-Whitney U test showed significant differences in the use of television (.013), the Internet (.044), and newspapers (.082), indicating non-alignment positions. Alignment in the nonuse of production guides and journals/magazines (dmr = 0) and near alignment for radio (dmr = 1) was observed. We recommend that stakeholders in the agricultural delivery system make use of mass media that are gender-relevant in disseminating farm messages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study assessed the effectiveness of mass media availability, accessibility and use on farmers' adoption of cassava-related innovations in the central agricultural zone of Delta State, Nigeria. The influence of a specific media type was also determined. Data, collected from a random sample of 133 cassava farmers resident in nine communities in the study area, were analysed using frequency distribution, mean, Spearthan rho and Pearson Product Moment correlation. Results show that, while radio, television, and newspaper were the most available media in the study area, the most easily accessible media were radio and television. The media channels with the strongest influence on farmers' adoption of innovations were radio and television. The availability and accessibility of mass media channels also exerted significant influence on the respondents' adoption of farm technologies. Improving the availability of radio and television signals in rural areas was recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses political developments in Nigeria. It highlights the current party system and the evolution of the People's Democratic Party (PDP). It mentions that political party in Nigeria determines the nature and growth of its political system. It cites various roles that key stakeholders play in upholding the country's troubled democracy, including human rights organizations, judiciary, and sections of the mass media.

Assesses the contribution of the print and electronic media on environmental education and consciousness in Nigeria. Perception of residents on environmental problems; Information resources on the problems; Notion on the relevance of mass media.

In analyzing the Nigerian federal military government Decree No. 36 of 1992, which was promulgated to regulate private electronic communications in Nigeria, this article argues that few of the decree's goals have been achieved. One achievement is a return to order in a previously chaotic media environment, while failures include the inability to control programming content and foreign satellite signals. The analysis begins with a review of the Nigerian media environment prior to the decree, and then focuses on the goats of the decree as well as the present media environment in Nigeria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study represents the second phase of a programmatic research effort designed to test a model of media exposure and appraisal. One of the distinguishing features of the model is that it attempts to link directly individual evaluations of a particular medium to exposure and appraisal. In the model three independent variables, editorial tone, communication potential, and utility, are posited to determine exposure and appraisal. This model was tested with two readership surveys of magazines distributed in Nigeria. While the model provided a good fit to the data, the results suggested that a contingency approach, based on specific attributes of a medium and situational factors, may be necessary to account for the effects of specific patterns of media exposure and appraisal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]