AN ASSESSMENT OF NEWSPAPER COVERAGE AND FRAMING OF THE SUBSIDY REINVESTMENT AND EMPOWERMENT PROGRAMME (SURE-P) IN NIGERIA

AN ASSESSMENT OF NEWSPAPER COVERAGE AND FRAMING OF THE SUBSIDY REINVESTMENT AND EMPOWERMENT PROGRAMME (SURE-P) IN NIGERIA

ABSTRACT

This study content analysed Nigerian newspapers’ pattern of frames in the news coverage of the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P). The study was not just interested in whether the SURE-P was covered by Nigerian newspapers, but in how it was covered. A total of four Nigerian newspapers (The Guardian, This Day, The Sun, and The Nation) were studied for the purpose of this research. From these newspapers, a sample size of 384 newspaper editions spanning a period of twelve months (January-December, 2014) was content analysed for this study. Data generated from this study was tested for inter-coder reliability using Krippendorff’s Alpha formula which put the average reliability coefficient for all categories at 0.965%. Findings showed that by wrongly framing developmental issues, newspapers have the tendency to reduce it to an issue about personality. Thus, the study recommended among others, that journalists should go the extra mile to educate themselves on government developmental policies and programmes.