PERCEPTION OF EDO STATE RESIDENTS ON THE PATTERN OF MEDIA COVERAGE

ABSTRACT

This study seeks to investigate Perception of Edo State Residents on the pattern of media coverage/reportage of the EndSars Protest in Nigeria. Responsible governments seek ways on how to productively engage youths in a bid to ensuring a peaceful and safe society. EndSARS was a social movement and series of mass protests against police brutality in Nigeria, which called for the disbandment of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), a unit of the Nigerian Police. It is against this background that this study offer insight into what the public feel about such coverage/reports as well as the possibility that they support such protest or not. Survey design is the method adopted for the study and population for the study are residents in Oredo local government while the sample size is 400. Findings revealed among others; many Nigerian are exposed to mass media and its content and the contents direct their course of action in different ways. The researcher concluded that, the youths in Nigeria should embrace social media as it’s the most powerful tool for them to air their views without fear of threat or sanction. Based on the findings of the study, the researcher recommends as follows; Various state government should give attention to the pleas of Nigerians and grant them listening ears, as this would curb activism and Mass media practitioners should be more fair, objective and honest intentional with their content and not give out wrong information because the mass media is saddled with the huge responsibility of creating awareness and information dissemination.