Abstract

This study sought to determine the frequency with which The Punch, The Nation and Nigerian Tribune newspapers reported the July to December, 2013 Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU)’s strike in Nigeria.The study was anchored on Agenda setting, Framing, and Spiral of Silence theories. It adopted Content Analysis research design and through the use of Systematic Sampling technique, the researchers picked 60 editions each of The Punch, Nigerian Tribune and The Nation newspaper as the sample size for the study. Data revealed that The Punch, Nigerian Tribune and the Nation newspapers frequently covered and reported the July to December, 2013 ASUU strike. It also showed that The Punch, The Nigerian Tribune and the Nation newspapers did not attach enough importance to the coverage of the strike. Data also revealed that The Punch newspaper was biased in its reports, while Nigerian Tribune and The Nation were neutral in their report of the strike. The study concluded that the Punch, The Nation and Nigerian Tribune did not do an adequate job in informing the public about the strike by frequently writing reports about the strike.

Key Words: The Media, Strike, Agenda Setting, Framing, Journalism

^JCMRJournal of Communication and Media Research, Vol. 7, No. 2, October 2015, 127 – 143 

©Delmas Communications Ltd.

About the authors

*Dr. Raphael Olugbenga Abimbola, Ph.D. is a Lecturer in the Department of Mass Communication, Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko, Ondo State, Nigeria.

**Oluwadare Oladipo Oguntomisin is a Lecturer in the Department of Mass Communication, Wesley University, Ondo, Ondo State, Nigeria.

***Oyindamola Dolapo Scott is a Lecturer in the Department of Mass Communication, Wesley University, Ondo, Ondo State, Nigeria.

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