COVERAGE OF COVID-19 PANDEMIC IN SELECT NIGERIAN NEWSPAPERS

ABSTRACT

The study is on the Coverage of COVID-19 Pandemic in select Nigerian Newspapers. It aimed at discovering the content to which COVID-19 pandemic issues were reported by the press and examine the prominence given to COVID-19 pandemic issues in select newspapers in Nigerian from June to August, 2021. The study was conducted on the Agenda Setting Theory and Media Dependency Theory of Mass Communication. The researcher adopted content analysis design method and it was used in gathering the data for the study as 73 editions of the Guardian, Punch and Vanguard newspapers were investigated. The findings revealed that the three newspapers reported on Covid-.19 pandemic issue but on a low frequency, they did not give much prominence to the story neither were they reported in a favorable direction. The researcher also recommended that the media should have keen interest and commit to reporting health issues facing the country especially a pandemic.