This study â€-Conflict-sensitive Reporting in Northern Nigeria: A study of
Select Newspaper Reportageâ€- was carried out to discover how some
newspapers report conflict in Northern Nigeria. The study examined how
the nature of reporting conflict can either enhance or diminish the
conflict. The media is a powerful tool for shaping public opinion.
Because of the sensitive nature of conflicts, the media has to take
certain considerations when reporting on conflicts. Media reports can
have an impact on a brewing conflict positively or negatively. The major
objectives of the study are to: examine the extent of newspaper
coverage of the conflict in Northern Nigeria determine how the coverage
of the protracted conflict has been framed by the print media, and
investigate the level of compliance of Nigerian newspapers with conflict
sensitive journalism practice. The study looked at reports on conflict
and compared the different reports paper by paper to reveal bias,
ideological leanings and emphasis given to reports on conflict in
Northern Nigeria. With the content analysis and discourse analysis, the
study discovered that the attempt at conflict-sensitive reporting by
these newspapers is very poor. The interview revealed that all the
newspapers under study see themselves as objective and balanced this was
however disputed by the content analysis and discourse analysis.
Another finding of this study is that the amount of coverage given to
conflict in Northern Nigeria is determined by the location and ownership
of these newspapers. The paper also discussed how the media should
cover conflict in order to encourage newspapers to be conflict-sensitive
in their reports and encourage peace journalism in Nigeria