Research Article Open Access

Prominence and Format of Covid-19 Reportage by the Media

Abstract

This study examined the prominence and format of media reportage of COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria by focusing on the frequency of reportage, prominence and format used by the selected newspapers in the reportage of COVID-19 related stories. This study employed the content analysis method by analysing the content of The Guardian and The Nation newspapers between February 2021 and April 2021. This study found out The Guardian and The Nation newspapers gave adequate coverage to COVID-19 related stories, though; The Guardian newspaper reported COVID-19 related stories more than The Nation newspaper, The Nation newspaper gave more prominence to COVID-19 stories more than The Guardian newspaper and the major format of presentation of COVID-19 stories by the selected newspapers is the straight news among others. This study recommended that there should be more feature articles, interviews and editorials in the reportage of the pandemic and that journalists should refrain from panic reporting in the straight news to avoid putting the citizens in a state of panic

Stella Oyeniran PhD*, Ifedayo Akinwalere PhD, Victoria Adegboye PhD, Abiola Sahid PhD

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