Abstract

Journalism plays very vital roles in news reporting and information dissemination; however, there are some vices associated with it. This study is to bring to the fore, the yet-to-be-showcased, unethical journalism, and disturbing public health issues, concerning certain hilariously presented news reportages of sad and tragic occurrences by some radio stations in South-West Nigeria. Narrative contents and nature of unethical media reportage of child sexual abuses and child-rapes (occasionally involving feminicides), were monitored between November 1, 2018 and July 26, 2022. Brief, structured interactive interviews were also conducted on 20 to 67 years old, 186 (101 males and 85 females) selected respondents from Yoruba-speaking states. Respondents were to review how the customised hilarious and sexualised Yoruba news on child-rapes, majorly impacted listeners. Findings showed that, news highlights and major news culled from national daily newspapers were commonly made jests of, as well as, disclosures of rape victims’ identities, including names, and other family’s identities, locations or/and addresses, during such media reportages. Irrespective of age, tribal Yoruba origin, religion, educational status or occupation, 90.86% of the briefly-interviewed radio listeners opined that the particular news reportages were insensitive, highly improper, trivialise crime of child-rapes as entertaining journalism; thereby, severely distort the reality of hazards of child-rapes, and the disturbing effect to public mental health, which ultimately impact negatively in shaping public opinions.

Key Words: Child Protection Rights, child-rapes news reportage, National Broadcasting Corporation, Sustainable Development Goals, unethical journalism.

^JCMR Journal of Communication and Media Research, Vol. 14, No. 2, October 2022, pp. 85-96

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

About the author

* Adenike Adedayo Ogunshe is a microbiologist and a director of Pegasus-Zion Community & Environmental Health, Nigeria, Ibadan, Nigeria. Her areas of research interest include, Community Health, Educational Health, Environmental Health, General Public Health, Health, Safety & Environment, Gender-Based Issues, Wellbeing & Wellness, as well as, STEM. She is also an Ambassador of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) of Nigeria.

Article Citation

Ogunshe, A.A. (2022). Decatastrophising the hilarious re-victimisation and re-stigmatisation of child-rape victims through bleeding journalism. Journal of Communication and Media Research, 14 (2): 85-96.

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