Securing us through the Airwaves: Analysis of the Influence of Broadcast Media Security Awareness Campaigns on Security Alertness among Enugu State Residents

Keyword : Exposure .Broadcast Media . Security .Alertness .Campaigns

Author(s) : Celestine V. Gever & Michael Nnabundo Nwabuzor

Abstract :

For some time now, peace has remained elusive in different parts of the world. From Mali to Egypt, to Kenya, to Somalia, to Syria, to Pakistan, to Nigeria; the story is the same. The situation in Nigeria is particularly enmeshed such that a country which cannot boast of factories to cater for her teeming unemployed graduates, now has bomb manufacturing factories deployed against the citizens by anarchists/terrorists. The Nigerian broadcast media in a swift response have carried out different campaigns with a view to stemming the tide of insecurity in the country. This is the issue examined in this study. The paper takes off with the aim of ascertaining the relationship between broadcast media campaigns and audience security alertness; the extent of the relationship as well as factors that enhance audience understanding of these campaign messages. Using a survey design, stratified sampling was adopted and 400 respondents sampled in four local government areas of Enugu State, Nigeria. Within the frame work of a trilogy of social responsibility, agenda setting and information processing theories, findings suggest significant relationship between broadcast media campaigns and audience security alertness. Findings also revealed that the relationship though significant, is weak, while factors that enhance audience understanding of broadcast security awareness campaigns are; frequency, simplicity of language, richness of content and persuasiveness. The paper argues that following the perceived ineffectiveness of security intelligence among security agencies in Nigeria, the broadcast media should deploy its immediacy strength with a view to implanting a sense of security alertness among Nigerians as a deliberate way of addressing the security intelligence. Based on this argument therefore, the paper recommends among others; the enactment of an act of parliament, mandating broadcast media stations in Nigeria to give top priority to security awareness campaigns in their programming.

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