Newspaper framing of the second wave of COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria
A study of editorials of selected newspapers
Keywords:
COVID-19, Editorial, Framing, Newspaper Editorial, Second Wave of COVID-19Abstract
Since the corona virus disease broke out in Wuhan, Hubei Province in China in 2019, the world has known no peace in terms of global health. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought a new lifestyle of wearing facemask called the ‘new normal’. The media particularly newspapers have been fighting this global pandemic through different reports such as straight news, features, opinions and cartoons among others. However, newspapers seem not to be doing enough in this war in their editorials. The above dictated this study which examined how Nigerian newspapers framed the second wave of COVID-19 in their editorials. Using qualitative research method, the study analysed contents of the published editorials of selected newspapers on the second wave of COVID-19 in Nigeria. Data analysed were presented in simple statistics while hypotheses raised were tested using Chi-square Statistical Technique. The study found that Vanguard and Punch newspapers (the selected newspapers) published very few editorials (poor frequency) on the second phase of the pandemic in Nigeria despite the deadly effects of the disease. The study also revealed 13 types of frames (content categories of frame) in the editorials published on the second upsurge of the pandemic in Nigeria by the selected newspapers.
Downloads
References
Abbas, A.H. (2020). Politicizing the pandemic: A schemata analysis of COVID-19 news in two selected newspapers. Int. J. Semiot Law, DOI: https://doi.org/co.1007/s111 96-020-097 45-2
Aderogba, A. (2021). Nigeria’s media framing of COVID-19 pandemic: A content analysis of selected national dailies. World Scientific News, 159, 167-178. Retrieved from http://psjd.icm.edu.pl/psjd/element/bwmeta1.element.psjd-5c519618-4700-40ce-a091-e521e442e2b9.
Adhikari, S. P., Meng, S., Wu, Y., Mao, Y., Ye, R., Wang, Q., Sun, C., Sylvia, S., Rozelle, S., Raat, H. & Zhou, H. (2020). Epidemiology, causes, clinical manifestation and diagnosis, prevention and control of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) during the early outbreak period: A scoping review. Infectious Diseases of Poverty, 9 (29), 1-12. Retrieved from https://idpjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40249-020-00646-x?report=reader, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s40249-020-00646-x.
Alabi, M. & Adebowale, N. (2021). UPDATED: Nigeria confirms COVID-19 third wave as Lagos records six deaths daily from disease. Retrieved from https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/477131-updated-nigeria-confirms-covid-19-3rd-wave-as-lagos-records-six-deaths-daily-from-disease.html.
Anim, E. & Sunday, O. (2011). Nigerian newspaper editor’s perception of the role of editorial in the press functions. Communication Review, 5(2), 148-178.
Apuke, O. D. & Omar, B. (2021). Television news coverage of COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria: Missed opportunities to promote health due to ownership and politics. SAGE Open, 1-13. DOI: 10.1177/21582440211032675. Retrieved from https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/21582440211032675.
Azeez, V. (n.d.). Influence of newspaper editorials on the policies of Lagos State Government. Retrieved from https://www.academia.edu/9349387/INFLUENCE_OF_NEWSPAPER_EDITORIALS_ON_THE_POLICIES_OF_LAGOS_STATE_GOVERNMENT?auto=download.
Baran, S. & Davis D. (2000). Mass communication theory: Foundation, ferment and future (2nd Ed.). Belmont: Wadsworth/Thomas Learning.
Basch, C.H., Hillyer, G.C., Meleo-Erwin, Z., Mohlman, J., Cosgrove, A & Quinones, N. (2020). News coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic: Missed opportunities to promote health sustaining behaviours. Infection, Disease & Health, 25, 205-209. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/341436006 News coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic missed opportunities to promote health sustaining behaviours. DOI: 10.1016/j.idh.2020.05.001
Bogoch, I. I., Watts, A., Thomas-Bachii, A., Huber, C., Kraemer, M.U.G., Kham. K. (2020). Pneumonia of unknown etiology in Wuhan, China: Potential for international spread via commercial air travel. Journal of Travel Medicine, 27(2), 1-3. Retrieved from https://academic.oup.com/jtm/article/27/2/taaa008/5704418. DOI:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1050/NEJ Moa.200232.
Bukhari, N.H.S. & Xiaoyang, W. (2013). Critical discourse analysis and educational research. IOSR Journal of Research & Method in Education, 3(1), 9-17. Retrieved from http://www.iosrjournals.org/iosr-jrme/papers/Vol-3%20Issue-1/B0310917.pdf
Center for Disease Control and Prevention. (2021). SARS-CoV-2 Variant Classifications and Definitions. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/variants/variant-classifications.html.
Colarossi, J., Guo, L. & Belke, M. (2020). Comparing how media around the world frames coronavirus news. Retrieved from http://www.bu.edu/articles/2020/comparing-how-media-around-the-world-frames-coronavirus-news/.
Dennis, E.E. (1992). Of media and people. C.A.: Sage, Newbury Park.
Dijk, T. A. van. (1991). Racism and the press. New York: Routledge.
Drid, T. (2019). The study of news: A discourse analysis perspective. Journal El-Balictt in Human and Social Sciences, 10(35), 701-708.
Duyile, D. (2005). Writing for the media—A manual for African journalists. Lagos: Educational and Services Trust.
Emery, E. (1962). A history of American press. New York, Essex: Pearson Education Limited.
Evans, H-C. (2021). Newspapers’ coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic in Eswatini: From distanciated re/presentations to socio-health panics. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 8(328), 1-9. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-021-01012-4. Retrieved from https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/21582440211032675.
Franklin, B. (1991). Social policy, the media and misrepresentation. New York: Routledge.
Hager, E., Odetokun, I.A., Bolarinwa, O., Zainab, A., Okechukwu, O. & Al-Mustapha, A. (2020). Knowledge, attitude and perception towards the 2019 coronavirus pandemic: A bi-national survey in Africa. PLOS ONE, 15(7), 1-13. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0236918
Jeffs, T. (1999). “Are you paying attention: Education and the media”. In B. Franklin (Ed) Social policy, the media and misrepresentation. New York: Routledge, 157-173.
Jibrin, R. (2019). Media framing of the Ruga settlement initiative of the Federal Government of Nigeria and its implication on Government interest. Media and Communication Currents, 3(2), 33-47.
Lin, Q., Zhao, S., Gao, D., Lou, Y., Yang, S., Musa, S.S., Wang, M. H., Cai, Y., Wang, W., Yang, L. & He, D. (2020). A conceptual model for the corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak in Wuhan, China with individual reaction and governmental action. International Journal of Infectious Diseases, 93, 211-216.
Lippmann, W. (1922). Public Opinion. New York. Harcourt, Brace & Co.
Littlejohn, S. W. & Foss, K. A. (2008). Theories of human communication (9th ed.). Thomson Higher Education: Belmont, C.A.
Msughter, A.E. & Philips, D. (2020). Media framing of COVID-19 pandemic: A study of Daily Trust and Vanguard newspapers in Nigeria. International Journal of Health Safety and Environment (IJHSE), 6(05), 588-596. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/342750648 media framing of Covid-19 pandemic: A study of Daily Trust and Vanguard Newspapers in Nigeria.
Mu’azu, Y. & Moses, J. M. (2021). Framing of the COVID-19 pandemic during the Government’s imposed lockdown by the Daily Trust and the Punch newspapers. MCC, 5(1), 89-106. Retrieved from http://journals.unimaid.edu.ng/index.php/mcc/article/view/137/121.
News Agency of Nigeria. (2020). COVID-19: Nigeria now in second wave--Govt. Retrieved from https://www.premiumtimesng.com/coronavirus/431796-covid-19-nigeria-now-in-second-wave-govt.html.
Nigeria Centre for Disease Control. (2022). COVID-19 NIGERIA. Retrieved from https://covid19.ncdc.gov.ng/report/.
Ng, R., Chow, T. Y. J., & Yang, W. (2021). News media narratives of COVID-19 across 20 countries: Early global convergence and later regional divergence. PLOS ONE, 1-12. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0256358. Retrieved from https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0256358.
Nwankpu, E.S., Ezema, V.O. & Ogbodo, J.N. (2020). Nigeria media framing of coronavirus pandemic and audience response. Health Promotion Perspectives, 10(3), 192-199. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7420160.
Obi-Ani, N.A., Anikwenze, C. & Isiani, M.C. (2020). Social media and the COVID-19 pandemic: Observations from Nigeria. Cogent Arts and Humanities, 7(1), 1-15. Retrieved from https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/23311983.2020.1799483?needAccess=true. DOI: 10.1080/23311983.2020.1799483
Odoemelam, C. E. (2021). The COVID-19 health crisis and its framing: Approaches used by the print media for coverage. Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, 8(13), 115-142.
DOI: 10.14738/assrj.83.9676. Retrieved from https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zFg6F--0Z1KT8fCafJW_D1ybWQ7pnqR3/view.
Ogbodo, J.N., Onwe, E.C., Chukwu, J., Nwasum, C.J., Nwakpu, E.S., Nwankwo, S.U., . . . Ogbaeja, N.I. (2020). Communicating health crisis: A content analysis of global media framing of COVID-19. Health Promotion Perspectives, 10(3), 257-269. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7420175/. DOI:10.34172/hpp.2020.40.
Ogwezi, J. O., Umukoro, E. S., & Emetenjor, F. M. (2022). Patterns of broadcast media reportage of climate change issues in Lagos, Nigeria from 2016 to 2018: An Evaluative Study. Journal of Positive School Psychology, 6(5), 326-342. Retrieved from https://journalppw.com/index.php/jpsp/article/view/5807/3797.
Onwe, E. C., Chukwu, J., Nwamini, S. C., Nwankwo, S. U., Elem, S., Ogbaeja, N. I., . . . Ogbodo, J. N. (2020). Analysis of online newspapers’ framing patterns of COVID-19 in Nigeria. European Scientific Journal, 16(22), 217-237. DOI: 10.19044/esj.2020.v16n22p217. Retrieved from https://eujournal.org/index.php/esj/article/view/13300.
Poirier, W., Ouellet, C., Rancount, M., Bechard, J. & Dafrense, Y. (2020). (UN) Covering the COVID-19 pandemic: Framing analysis of the crisis in Canada. Canadian Journal of Political Science, 53, 365-371. Retrieved from https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aopcambridge-core/content/view/FCB77E376DIIAF4EC9661F13A389CD41500084239200003729.pdf/uncovering-the-covid19-pandemic-framing-analysis-of-the-crisis-in-canada.pdf. DOI:10.1017/S0008423920000372
Siddiqua, A., Shabir, G., Ashraf, A., & Klaliq, A. (2020). Media framing of pandemics: A case study of the coverage of COVID-19 in elite newspapers of Pakistan. Journal of Business and Social Review in Emerging Economies, 6(4), 1267-1275. Retrieved from http://www.publishing.globalcsrc.org/ojs/index.php/jbsee/article/view/1410/995.
Spitzer, R. J. (1993). Media and public policy. Westport: Praeger.
Tosanwumi, J.O.O. & Ekwuazi, H.O. (1994). Mass communication: A basic text. Ibadan: Caltop Publications (Nigeria) Limited.
Umukoro, E. S. (2020). Newspaper framing of hate speeches in Nigeria: An analysis of selected newspapers. Journal of Social and Management Sciences, 15(1), 79-91.
Umukoro, E. S., Irori, O. Q., Ivwighren, H. E., & Ugbome, M. (2018). Mass media and agricultural development: Perception of youth in Ughelli South Local Government Area of Delta State. Journal of Social and Management Sciences, 13(2), 61-74.
Suryasa, I. W., Rodríguez-Gámez, M., & Koldoris, T. (2021). The COVID-19 pandemic. International Journal of Health Sciences, 5(2), vi-ix. https://doi.org/10.53730/ijhs.v5n2.2937
van Dijk, T. A. (1991). Racism and the press (1st ed.). London: Routledge.
van Dijk, T.A. (1988). News analysis: Case studies of international and national news in the press. London: Routledge.
World Health Organization. (2020). Report of the WHO-China Joint Mission on Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). Retrieved from https://www.who.int/does/default-source/coronavirus/who-china-joint-mission-on-covid=19-final-report.pdf
World Health Organisation. (2022). Weekly epidemiological update on COVID-19-25 May 2022 (Edition 93). Retrieved from https://www.who.int/publications/m/item/weekly-epidemiological-update-on-covid-19---25-may-2022.
Khidoyatova, M. R., Kayumov, U. K., Inoyatova, F. K., Fozilov, K. G., Khamidullaeva, G. A., & Eshpulatov, A. S. (2022). Clinical status of patients with coronary artery disease post COVID-19. International Journal of Health & Medical Sciences, 5(1), 137-144. https://doi.org/10.21744/ijhms.v5n1.1858
Wu, J.T., Leung, K., & Leung, G.M. (2020). Nowcasting and forecasting the potential domestic and international spread of the 2019-nCoV outbreak originating in Wuhan, China: A modelling study. Retrieved from http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S/20197/220300539
Zhang, X., Pan, Y. & Zhang, M. (2014). Superstructure analysis in news stories-A contractive study of superstructure in VOA, BBC and NPR news. Asian Social Science 10(22), 199-209. Retrieved from https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/c3c1/e3c08d0e1f380a715d090896e20f97c2fe66.pdf?_ga=2.248339905.737393441.1621502966-872023905.1568625202. DOI: 10.5539/ass.v10n22p199
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
Copyright (c) 2022 International journal of health sciences
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Articles published in the International Journal of Health Sciences (IJHS) are available under Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives Licence (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0). Authors retain copyright in their work and grant IJHS right of first publication under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. Users have the right to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of articles in this journal, and to use them for any other lawful purpose.
Articles published in IJHS can be copied, communicated and shared in their published form for non-commercial purposes provided full attribution is given to the author and the journal. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.
This copyright notice applies to articles published in IJHS volumes 4 onwards. Please read about the copyright notices for previous volumes under Journal History.
