ABSTRACT

This study examined newspaper framing of Biafra agitation under Buhari's administration and its influence on public support for the struggle. Specific objectives of the study are to assess the patterns of news framing of the Biafra agitation under Buhari's administration; to know whether there is a difference in the patterns of news frames used by the pro-Igbo/pro-Biafra City newspapers and other national dailies in covering the Biafra agitation under Buhari's administration; to ascertain readers' perception of the Biafra agitation under Buhari's administration; to find out whether news stories on Biafra agitation influenced public support for the struggle under Buhari's administration. The survey and the content analysis methods were used as the research design. Findings from the study show that seven patterns of frames were used by the four selected newspapers in covering the Biafra agitation. The frames are: economic frame, political frame, ethnic frame, response frame, religious frame, human interest frame and attribution of responsibility frame. The study found that the pro-Igbo/Biafra (Daily Sun and Biafra Times) newspapers used frames that highlighted copiously the deprivation, marginalisation and oppression the Igbos are suffering under Buhari's administration thus lent support to the Biafra agitation. The other two national dailies (This Day and Guardian) used frames that tend to denounce the agitation. Finally, the study found that news stories on the Biafra agitation have had great influence on public support for the struggle.

摘要

这项研究调查了布哈里政府领导下的比亚法拉煽动的报纸框架及其对公众支持斗争的影响。该研究的具体目标是评估布哈里政府领导下的比亚法拉煽动事件的新闻框架。知道在支持布哈里政府管理下的比亚法拉风潮时，支持伊博人/支持比亚夫拉市的报纸和其他国家日报所使用的新闻框架的模式是否存在差异；确定读者对布哈里政府领导下的比亚法拉风潮的理解；找出有关Biafra煽动的新闻是否影响了公众对布哈里政府领导下的斗争的支持。调查和内容分析方法被用作研究设计。这项研究的结果表明，四个精选报纸在掩盖Biafra鼓动中使用了七个框架样式。这些框架是：经济框架，政治框架，种族框架，回应框架，宗教框架，人类利益框架和责任归属框架。研究发现，亲Igbo / Biafra（《太阳日报》和《Biafra时报》的报纸使用了一些框架，突出显示了布哈里政府领导下伊博族遭受的剥夺，边缘化和压迫，因此为Biafra的煽动提供了支持。其他两个国家日报（《今日报》和《卫报》）使用的框架倾向于谴责这种煽动行为。最后，该研究发现，有关比亚夫拉（Biafra）煽动的新闻报道对公众对斗争的支持产生了重大影响。