MEDIA FRAMING AND ELECTORAL VIOLENCE IN NIGERIA FOURTH REPUBLIC
Abstract
Elections serve as a legitimate means to usher in a new government or in some instances, signifying the continuation of a regime. However, in Sub-Saharan Africa, elections are usually marred by spates of violence. Media framing theory was used to underpin this study. The media framing theory depicts the agenda setting role of the media in shaping the perception of the electorates based on the news disseminated. The Methodology used in this study is qualitative. The content of three Newspapers namely The Punch, This Day and The Guardian were analysed. Findings revealed that there is a direct link between media framing and election violence in Nigeria. Although, media framing is a relatively new phenomenon, electoral violence is not new to the Nigerian context. Furthermore, it was discovered that through the use of several metaphoric expressions, the media is able to convey certain expressions made by political actors. This expression are interpreted differently by the electorates and in interpretation, violence ensues every election year. Therefore, this study recommended that there is a lot of work to be done by the election regulatory bodies and the justice system. The study also recommended that legal actions should be taken against perpetrators of electoral violence and that there should be sanctions put in place against media houses who promote electoral violence through the way they frame the news.
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