When Bias Defeats our Sense of Neutrality: An Analysis of Nigerian Newspapers' Framing of Political Crises

Keyword : Newspaper .Framing .Political Crisis .Content Analysis .Bias

Author(s) : Raphael Olugbengan Abimbola

Abstract :

Newspapers have among others, the particular responsibility to strengthen democracy, through political coverage and convergences. As such, this research paper looks at the concept of framing and the actual frames therein Nigeria's newspapers reports of the certain contemporary political crisis situations – Obasanjo's third term bid; Yar'Adua's illness and eventual absence in office, as well as Goodluck Jonathan's post election violence. The paper specifically finds out how some national dailies framed their reports on the political crises situations, determines the extent to which there are dissimilarities in the frames of the reports of the political crisis situations between the dailies, and, ascertains the extent to which there are dissimilarities in the frames of reports of the political crisis situations. The framing theory of the media provides the theoretical bases for this paper, while the content analysis research design via coding sheet was used towards content analysis of the political crisis situations purposively considered. This paper concludes that the newspapers' reports on the political crisis situations had more biased frames than neutral frames; extent of framing, and the unanimous nature therein, is significantly, a factor of the extent of controversy of the political crisis situation at hand; political crisis situations that are clearly against public interest are most likely to be framed unanimously by the press. This paper, therefore, recommends among others that conventional journalism practice in Nigeria, and perhaps elsewhere, should be encourage and practiced by those with the prerequisite training in media and mass communication towards understanding the appropriate application of media and communications' theoretical frameworks or perspectives, as well as models for the benefit of society.

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