CECILIA IVEREN AGBO
Department of Agricultural Extension and Management,
Akperan Orshi Polytechnic (AOPOLY),
Gboko, Benue State.
e-mail: [email protected]
NICHOLAS PEVER UKEYIMA
Registry Department (Academic Division),
Akperan Orshi Polytechnic (AOPOLY),
Gboko, Benue State.
e-mail: [email protected]
ABSTRACT
The study examined the media reportage of farmers-herders crisis in Nigeria. Three newspapers, (The Sun, Vanguard and The Nation) were randomly selected for analysis. The period covered was January to December, 2019. Variables measured include nature of covered issues, frequency of reportage, space allocated, placement and frames. Frequency counts, percentages and analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to analyse the collected data. Calamity/killing (40%) was the most covered issue across the papers, while Vanguard newspaper had the highest (48.2%) reportage of and largest (470cm2) space allotment to the issue. The paper also gave the issue more (60.7%) prominence than other newspapers. More (52.0%) of the issues reported had ethnic slants in their frames, with Vanguard having the largest proportion (40.0%). There was significant coverage of farmers/herders crises across the newspapers (F=3.418, P<0.05). It is noted that the current framing of herdsmen-farmers conflict in the newspapers could aggravate the existing tension along ethnic lines. It is recommended that newspaper editors should be more socially responsible in their publications.
Keywords: Media Reportage, News frames, Allotment, Farmers-Herders Crisis