Abstract

Nigeria has been engulfed in series of conflicts which pose challenges to national security. Meanwhile, there is a consensus among scholars that mass media, especially newspapers, have a greater influence on national and international security through their conflict reportage especially conflict that cuts across ethno-religious divides. This study investigates newspapers reports and framing of farmer-herder conflict in The Punch, Daily Trust and The Guardian newspapers published between January 1, and December 31, 2018 to access the role of Nigerian newspapers in national security. Agenda setting and media framing theories served as the theoretical framework. The study adopted quantitative content analysis in line with African conflict-sensitive instrument of Johan Galtung. Findings revealed that Nigerian newspapers adopted violence-induced journalism approach to frame the conflict. Since security is a national concern, the study therefore, recommended, amongst others, that newspaper regulatory body-Nigerian Press Council and other professional bodies such as Nigerian Guild of Editors, Newspapers Proprietor Association of Nigeria, Nigerian Union of Journalists, etc. should engineer legal policy frameworks that could ensure adherence to ethical, socially responsible, conflict-sensitive coverage of issues that bother on national security.

Key Words: Newspapers’ Reports, Farmer-Herder Conflict, Media Frame, African Conflict-Sensitive Instrument, National Security.

About the Authors

*    Monsurat Modasola Wonuola, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9790-1547, is of the Department of Mass Communication, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Al-Hikmah University, Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria.

**  Rasaq Muhammed Adisa, Ph.D., is of the Department of Mass Communication, Faculty of Communication and Information Sciences, University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria.

*** Saudat Sallah Abdulbaqqi, Ph.D., is of the Department of Mass Communication, Faculty of Communication and Information Sciences, University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria.

^JCMR Journal of Communication and Media Research, Vol. 15, No. 2, October 2023, pp. 143-155.

© Association of Media and Communication Researchers of Nigeria (AMCRON).

Article Citation

Wonuola, M. M., Adisa, R. M. & Abdulbaqqi, S. S. (2023). Assessment of newspapers’ reports and framing of farmer-herder’s conflict in selected Nigerian national dailies. Journal of Communication and Media Research, 15 (2): 143-155.

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