NEWSPAPERS COVERAGE OF ENDSARS PROTEST IN NIGERIA. A STUDY OF SELECTED NEWSPAPERS

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

The capacity of the mass media to create awareness on any issue in modern society has come to be recognized. Society, therefore, depends mostly on the mass media for its information and communication needs. The functions of the media in the society have been identified as surveillance of the environment, correlation of parts of society in responding to the environment, transmission of social heritage from one generation to the next and providing entertainment (Wright 1959:9).

According to Wright, “surveillance refers to the collection and distribution of information concerning events in the environment both outside and within any particular society”. This  is the news function of the mass media. Correlation includes “interpretation of information about the environment and prescription for conduct in reaction to these events. This is the editorial or opinion function of the media. Transmission of social heritage according to Wright “focuses on the communicating of knowledge, values, and social norms from one generation to another or from members of a group to newcomers”. This is the education function. Entertainment includes “communicative acts primarily intended for amusement, irrespective of any instrumental effect they might have” (Wright 1959:9).

An understanding of these functions and their discrete nature is needed by advocacy practitioners and academics to understand how the media functions. Thus, a newspaper, for example, might report a conflict news story (surveillance) and follow it with an editorial or opinion on how to stem the conflict (correlation) and feature stories on educating the public on the ultimate futility of conflicts (education) and a cartoon or illustration on the need for peace (entertainment).

McQuail quoted by Watson (2003:104-105) further explains these functions under five headings- information, correlation, continuity, entertainment and mobilisation.

Information: Providing information about events and conditions in society and the world; indicating relations of power; facilitating innovation, adaptation and progress;

Correlation: Explaining, interpreting and commenting on the meaning of events and information; providing support for established authority and norms; socialising; co- ordinating separate activities; consensus building; setting orders of priority and signalling relative status;

Continuity: Expressing the dominant culture and recognising sub-cultures and new cultural developments; forging and maintaining commonality of values;

Entertainment: Providing amusement, diversion, and the means of relaxation; reducing social tension;

Mobilisation: Campaigning for social objectives in the sphere of politics, war, economic development, work, and sometimes religion.

However, the activities of the media are carried out within certain constraints which may be socio-economic, psychological or political which affect how these activities are viewed by the society. Factors like ownership, location, orientation and the economics of media production among others may colour the role of the media in society. These conflicts of role perception have been manifested in comments on the role of the media in conflict situations. All stakeholders seem to have divergent views on the role of the media. The position of people at the helm of affairs in government was poignantly brought to the fore in 1985 by then Prime Minister of Britain, Margaret Thatcher. Thatcher told a gathering of attorneys that democracy “must find a way to starve the terrorists and hijackers of the oxygen of publicity on which they depend” (Picard 1990:314). The oxygen of publicity referred to above is a summation of the role of the media in airing the views of “terrorists” and hijackers.

In Nigeria, government officials at the highest levels consistently find the media as the culprit in the many violent conflicts that have bedevilled the nation. About a month into his appointment as National Security Adviser (NSA) to the Nigerian President, Sambo Dasuki

had already accused the Nigerian media of contributing to the security challenges of the country, “My experience with the media has so far not been a good one… In most of the places I visit, the media have been one of the problems and it is all these idea of sensational journalism that everybody wants to publish a story that is not necessarily a story, to make good headlines.” (The Punch, July 6, 2012:1-2)

Background to the study

The Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) was created in Lagos State in 1992, a time when Notorious armed robbers such as Shina Rambo were in control of the state (Midenda, 2017).

It was created as a faceless police unit that performs undercover  operations  against  armed  robbers.  Within almost  two  decades  of  its  creation,  the  unit  has  spread  across the various states of the country. The spread of the unit across the nation without a proper structure, accounts for some of it lawless charcteristics.

The current report of police brutality using the #Endsars on Twitter has brought public attention to it. The online campaign about the police brutality is new, however, Nigerian pop stars has over the years expressed their worries, fears and incidents of police brutality.

The  Nigerian  movie  industry,  Nollywood  has  also portrayed cases of brutality and corruption within the Nigerian police force in their productions.Nigerians   having   been   subjected   to   wanton   arrests,   extortion  and  extra  judiciary  killings,  lunched  a  social  media  campaign  using  the  hastag  #Endsars  on  Twitter  to put an end to police brutality.

The #Endsars campaign started  with  the  publication  of  a  petition  by  convener  Segun  Awosanya.  It  was  signed  by  10,195  Nigerians and submitted to the Nigerian National Assembly to scrap the  police  unit.    The  Twitter  campaign  started  on  the  2nd of  December  2017,  when  a  footage  of  police  officers attached to the unit shot and killed a man surfaced online. The  campaign  became  a  trending  topic  on  Twitter  with  over  400,000  Tweets8  within  twelve  hours.

In October 2020, Nigerians turned the online campaign to protest. Nigerians  using 280 characters detailing their horrible and harrowing experiences  with  SARS,  the  dreaded  unit  of  the  police  created to fight banditry. Before the campaign, there have been isolated cases of police brutality all over the country. However,  it  was  during  the  campaign  that  the  damage  caused  by  such  brutality  was  discovered.

The  campaign  also exposed the level of rot within the police unit according to  the  convener  of  the  campaign.  The  campaign  further  revealed that the police has no recognizable structure with no organized system of operation, officers of the unit act based on self-will with little or no regards for fundamental human right for citizens especially vulnerable youth.

The sudden rise of protest movements during the recent economic crisis has brought to the fore once more the question of whether grievance theories may play a role in explaining collective action.

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study 1
1.2 Statement of the Problem 5
1.3 Objective of the Study 6
1.4 Research Questions 7
1.5 Hypotheses 7
1.6 Significance of the Study 8
1.7 Scopeof the Study 9
1.8 Operational Definition of Terms 9
CHAPTER TWO: REVIEW OF LITERATURE
2.0 Introduction 11
2.1 Conceptual Review 11

Content Page
2.1.1 Conceptual Model 11
2.1.2 Conflict: A Conceptual Clarification 12
2.1.3 News Media and the Coverage of Conflict 16
2.1.4 Peace Journalism: An Alternative Model to War Journalism 20
2.1.4.1 Criticisms of Peace Journalism and Counterarguments 24
2.2 Theoretical Framework 33
2.2.1 Agenda-Setting Theory 33
2.2.1.1 Relevance of the Agenda-Setting Theory to the Study 37
2.2.2 Media Framing Theory 37
2.2.2.1 Relevance of the Media Framing Theory to the Study 40
2.2.3 Social Responsibility Theory 40
2.2.3.1 Relevance of the Social Responsibility Theory to the Study 43
2.3 Review of Empirical Studies 43
2.4 Summary of Literature 53

CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background to the study

The importance of having access to relevant political information in a democratic system is widely recognized. When correct, easily digestible, and extensive knowledge is readily available, citizens have the ability to devise their own responses to political events and, as a result, participate in the political process.

Social media contribute to the formation of public opinion by providing citizens with a forum in which they can voice their thoughts and by facilitating the growth of a consensus position in an era in which face-to-face interaction with political elites is relatively rare.

Social media has been found useful in Nigeria elections. The rise in social media activist for political mobilizations in 2022 has risen to atleast 45%.compared to other pre-election year with Peter Obi leading in all social media sites. Obi, who is the presidential candidate of Labour Party in 2023 elections, has gained social media popularity in recent times and has succeeded in creating a slogan “Obidient” which rings positive bell in the hears of the electorate who are majorly youths Musliudeen (2022).

Social media not only make information more reachable but are also likely the sole channel through which the general people can acquire information that is not biased or slanted politically.

In order for the information to be successful, the general public needs to have access to political information that is objective and not political propaganda. In addition, if the general population is not sufficiently informed to make decisions, the political establishment might not be held accountable for their actions. Moreover, if the general population is not sufficiently engaged in democratic processes, the viability of democracy itself might be called into question.

Even though there are still traditional media channels that give political news, current technology breakthroughs, notably the internet, have helped to the distribution of news items and the rise of citizen journalism. This is particularly true in the United States. The number of people who currently have access to the internet is increasing as a direct result of the growing number of people who use smartphones.

The recent emergence of social media as a major force that must be reckoned with in all areas of communications has caused a shift in the manner in which communication is managed on all fronts, whether they are social, economic, or political. This shift has had an effect on the way communication is handled on all fronts. As a result of this, political communication is now becoming an increasingly important aspect during election campaigns. This is because politicians and the general public are increasingly using social media into their communication. Therefore, political communication is not exempt from the effects that are caused by social media.

However, in order to cultivate greater political discourse and more political involvement among all people, substantial consideration needs to be given to the assurance of accuracy and in-depth analysis of political topics in the social networking platforms that many young minds subscribe to. In an effort to maintain their relevance in the public eye, politicians are becoming increasingly active on social media.

In this study, the political issues that are being discussed on social media were assessed for their relative significance in terms of how they are affecting policy in Nigeria. The researcher focused primarily on analyzing how social media especially Facebook and Twitter are utilized in Nigeria, as well as how this has impacted political debate in 2023 presidential elections.

In Nigeria, social media platforms have evolved into highly effective political tools in recent years. According to the statistics available in January 2021, there were 33 million people using social media in Nigeria. Because more than 48 percent of Nigerians have access to cell phones and only 36 percent have internet access, approximately 40 percent of the country’s population, or nearly 90 million people, are active on social media. As of the year 2021, the total number of citizens who were registered to vote in the country was 89 million. Because of this, it is reasonable to assume that the majority of voters have access to social media. This indicates that social and online media have almost completely replaced the combined mix of other media as crucial avenues of communication in matters pertaining to society and politics.
The use of social media platforms has become an increasingly important arena for the shaping of public opinion and the establishment of priorities. The extent to which social media can affect and determine voting behavior may be limited but still significant, but the jury is still out on whether or not it plays a role in determining the outcomes of political contests. During the presidential election in 2015, the opposition party known as the All Progressives Congress (APC) made extensive use of social media in order to de-market the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

As we get closer to the year 2023, political actors and political parties are jumping on the social media bandwagon. As a result, the landscape of political communication in Nigeria has never been so heterogeneous, fragmented, energizing, chaotic, creative, and equally polarizing at the same time. Political actors are (re)branding themselves as serious political contenders at both the state and national levels by engaging audiences on social media in a regular, humorous, and strategic manner. This is happening at both the state and the national levels. Some of their audience members have a high level of intelligence and are able to differentiate between political razmataz and genuine political engagement and enlightenment.

The use of social media platforms has become an increasingly important arena for the shaping of public opinion and the establishment of priorities. The extent to which social media can affect and determine voting behavior may be limited but still significant, but the jury is still out on whether or not it plays a role in determining the outcomes of political contests. During the presidential election in 2015, the opposition party known as the All Progressives Congress (APC) made extensive use of social media in order to de-market the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

According to preliminary research carried out in Nigeria during the elections in 2015, social media played a significant role in shifting popular support among young voters away from the then-current Federal Government. By the time of the 2019 presidential election, social media had reached maturity, and instead of young millennials and young adults dominating that space, we noticed that even older people were relying on them for political information and debates. This shift in demographics was a significant departure from previous trends.

IMPACTS OF TELEVISION AS A TOOL FOR POLITICAL MOBILIZATION

CHAPTER ONE

1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

The mass media as a communication tool hand and are still exerting great influence on a wide range of political and social issues globally. On the one hand, media can be used as political instruments for building a nation and promoting the legitimacy of a regime by shaping the nation’s political culture and influencing its public opinion. On the other hand, media can function as watchdog of government performance. Realizing that mass media can play very important roles in influencing politics, scholars in both political science and communication studies have conducted considerable research to explore the interaction between media and politics. Black’s Politics and News (1982), Horowitz’s Power, Politics and People (1963), Seymour-Ure’s The Political Impact of Mass Media(1974), Well’s Mass Media and Society (1972), Collins and Murroni’s New Media New Politics (1996), Wheeler’s Politics and the Mass Media (1997), Sproule’s Propaganda and Democracy (1997) and Moy, Patricia, and Scheufele Media Effects on Political and Social Trust (2000) are examples in this regard.

Apart from the studies in these areas, theories have been created to explain the power the media has in the society, some of these theories, Lasswell’s propaganda theory (1938), McComb and Shaw’s agenda-setting theory (1972) and Tuchman’s framing analysis theory (1978) are the most relevant ones in the study of media effects on politics. They all directly study the interaction between media and politics, and each study assumes that media can play a powerful role in influencing politics both within one nation and between nations.

The media is made up of both print and digital, encompassing both broadcast media and social media, the media play a huge role as versatile means of communication in every society. Radio’s usefulness for example is primarily journalistic education, cultural enlightenment, people mobilization, societal propaganda and entertainment. Radio also promotes development economically, increases political participation and the general awareness on national issues to inspire unity in the society.

The unique ability Radio has is that unlike the print which has an appeal primarily to the literate class of the society Radio meets the needs of the illiterate (not so educated) class of the society and also the literate class. Radio with its appeal played important roles in sending across political messages. This role has made it contribute immensely to the education of the mass populis politically, by enlightenment, awareness, consciousness and in some cases a room for political discussions. The role of Radio in politics has always been maximized by politicians during campaigns towards elections especially during democratic rule in Nigeria, allowing the general public the opportunity to listen to, manifestos of politicians, criticisms by aspirants or political activist when the aspirant is running for re-elections and other programs Radio house may run in a bid to educate the public to make rational choices responsible to sustain the growth of the country.

Media cannot be eradicated in any political system especially in a democratic society. They make up the fourth estate of the realm while the other three were constitutionally founded the media is not, it is independent, free of governmental influence and primarily responsible to the Public. The media creates awareness amongst the public by letting them know the problems and issues the state is faced with and their possible solutions or consequences if any. Media dictates the agenda of the day by putting ideas and thought before the people for them to think and talk about.

In Nigeria, the media has been instrumental in politically transforming the minds of the public. According to Akpan (1987, p.22), media information has a tremendous energy for change. Change in political context refers to the opportunity for improvement in the political sphere of the people and taking away ignorance. In politics, the electorate need media information to ensure full participation in elections knowing what is required of them. Furthermore, Ezeokoli (1988) in her article ‟Mass Media and Social Political Transformation”, noted that the politics of any nation depends heavily on the mass media as platforms of articulating and marketing of ideas and issues on national problems to the people.

This study will therefore examine the contributions of Radio in mobilizing and stimulating political participation of the people of Abeokuta-North LGA towards electing a new democratic government in this 2015 general election.

1.2 STATEMENT OF RESEARCH PROBLEM

In democracies globally, the media primarily function as the watch dog of the people. They mobilize and inform the people creating awareness on political culture of the time. The mass media has a role in educating the public on the system of politics especially where the orientation of the citizen of a nation is poor towards politics, which affects their perceptions of political legitimacy of a government.

The low level of political participation has affected the process of national growth and political development in Nigeria. Ofoeze (1998) explained that Nigeria stunted growth politically has its location in the crisis of political participation. This is so because of the level of electoral ignorance as to the power which the citizens have in deciding who they put in power, due to the antics done by the military, killing electoral participation through their interventionist coup de tat. The incumbent’s proclivities of rigging electoral votes have also made political participation low.

In recent times, the media in Nigeria has evolved from its role as a channel for communication to a tool of continual enlightenment of the public improving public lifestyle and reducing ignorance. The role of radio, as an instrument of political mobilization cannot be over emphasised. Radio continued participation in political affairs has raised interest of politicians, as politicians are ready to use radio to pursue their own personal interest. Radio due to its universality of context can reach the people on a wide scale affecting democratic growth of the nation.

The media can be considered windows, through which the political landscape of a country can be viewed, both from within the country and by external observers. In other words, the media can be used as explanatory factors for politics. Unlike many of the liberal-democratic societies, where great attention has been given to the roles of mass media in affecting the nations’ political life, the media’s roles have been marginalized, if not ignored completely, in the study of Nigerian politics and society at large. Although there are a number of available studies on the media’s role in Nigerian politics, few of them provide systematic and updated analysis of how dynamic the media has been in reforming and increasing the political participation rate of the Nigerian people.

The media is constantly developing, becoming widely used for marketing purposes in politics. Thus further research is needed to provide a better understanding of how radio information is both promotional in encouraging political participation, for the electorate and the political parties who want the electorates to vote their candidates in.  It is for this purpose this study is set out to answer the question; what is the impact of Rock City FM radio station on political mobilization of the people of Abeokuta-North LGA in Ogun State?

1.3 OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY

The objective of the study is to see how well media outfits, using Rock City FM, help in creating awareness on political issues in Abeokuta-North LGA.

• To find out if Rock City FM played an important role in creating awareness during the elections.
• To find out if Rock City FM information on the elections was taken as a credible source of information.
• To determine the extent to which the political programs aired on Rock City FM encourage political participation amongst its listeners.

This research seeks to determine how well the media (radio) has carried out its function as an instrument of political mobilization and information disseminating.

1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The following research question will aim to guide this study:

1. To what extent did Rock City FM create awareness on the electoral process?
2. To what extent were campaign and electoral information on Rock City FM perceived as credible by the electorate during the elections?
3. How well did Rock City FM mobilize and inform its listeners during the elections?

1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The study will see to what extent the media (Radio) has an effect in mobilizing and increasing political participation amongst the people in Abeokuta-North LGA. It also will let us know if the media (Radio) has an effect on the mindset and perception of the people of Abeokuta-North LGA towards political issues in light of information gathered and their role as an electorate in determining their leaders.

1.6 Scope of the Study

The study will look at Rock City FM Radio Abeokuta, Ogun State and the people in Abeokuta-North LGA as the primary reference of the study. Also it will focus are areas that concern radio station fulfilling its role as a social informant and also as the watch dog of the people in the electoral process. It will also look at how political discussion on programs being aired improves the political orientation of the people.

It will also seek to know the role of radio in reducing distrust in the electoral process, how it provides effective political education on the electoral process to encourage the residents of Abeokuta-North LGA in going out to vote on Election Day. Finally will seek to uncover how radio through its programs has encouraged and motivated political participation in the electoral process

1.7 OPERATIONAL DEFINITION OF TERMS

1. Politics: in this study refers to the process necessary to make binding policy decision for the community and to increase patronage in government activities.
2. Media: refers to radio as a channel through which government, institutions, and political interest groups communicate with the citizens of a nation.
3. 3. Political Mobilization: refers to the process of becoming attentive and active towards the political demand of the nation ensuring they take part in political activities, as electorate in exercising their rights to vote making awareness for the need participate actively and fully in the electoral process.
4. 4. Political Participation: This refers is participation of people in selecting their leaders by participating in the election process of selection.
5. Radio Programs: This are the on air programs on politic during the electoral period of 2015.
6. 6. Electoral Process: Refers to the seasonal exercise of the selecting and voting in leaders into government office and positions necessary to the sustenance of democracy and political awareness.