Abstract

This study examined media coverage of COVID-19 in Nigeria with attention to the frequency and depth of coverage, story format, news sources, media tone and themes. Four widely read newspapers were content analysed between February 2020 and April 2020. Focus was on Daily Sun, Vanguard, Daily Trust and Leadership. Results indicated that the Nigerian media performed well in terms of covering the pandemic, which in turn created awareness. However, the coverage was not in-depth as most of the reported stories were short and were predominantly straight news. It was also observed that the media cited more of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and government officials. Further findings disclosed that most of the stories were alarming and induced panic. Most common topics were coverage of cases in Nigeria, death rates and concerns about Nigeria’s preparedness. Public sensitization and education were sparingly covered. Ethics healthcare workers could adhere to received minimal attention. The media should focus more on sensitizing and educating the public on the necessary steps to take in curbing the virus. They should refrain from over usage of alarming and panic tone in presenting the stories of COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria.

中文翻译：

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尼日利亚报纸如何报道COVID-19大流行？对认识和预防的影响

摘要

这项研究检查了尼日利亚对COVID-19的媒体报道，关注报道的频率和深度，报道格式，新闻来源，媒体语气和主题。在2020年2月至2020年4月之间对四份广为阅读的报纸进行了内容分析。重点是《每日太阳报》，《先锋报》，《每日信任》和《领导力》。结果表明，尼日利亚媒体在报道大流行方面表现良好，从而引起了人们的关注。但是，由于报道的大多数故事都很短，而且主要是直截了当的新闻，因此报道的深度不够。还观察到，媒体引用了尼日利亚疾病控制中心（NCDC）和政府官员的更多信息。进一步的发现表明，大多数故事令人震惊并引起恐慌。最常见的话题是尼日利亚的病例报道，死亡率和对尼日利亚备灾的担忧。很少进行公众宣传和教育。道德保健工作者可以坚持得到最少的关注。媒体应更多地集中精力，对公众进行遏制该病毒的必要步骤的宣传和教育。