Newspaper Framing of Issues in the 1999 Yoruba-Hausa Inter-ethnic Conflict in Sagamu
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.46881/ajh.v5i0.227Keywords:
, Conflict, conflict reporting, Sagamu community, Yoruba-Hausa ethnic groups, media framing, 1999 Yoruba-Hausa conflict.Abstract
This study examines the characterisation of issues in the 1999 Yoruba-Hausa inter-ethnic conflict in Sagamu, south-western Nigeria. The occurrence of the1999 Yoruba-Hausa conflict in Sagamu had some historical significance. It was the first inter-ethnic conflict that occurred two months after the enthronement of democracy in Nigeria in 1999. Furthermore, it was the first inter-ethnic conflict between the Yoruba and the Hausa in Sagamu community after many centuries of peaceful co-existence. Therefore, the authors investigate how four major Nigerian national newspapers, National Concord, The Guardian, The Punch and Nigerian Tribune reported and characterised issues during this conflict. The study triangulates between indepth interview and content analysis research methods for data gathering in order to unpack issues embedded in the research questions. Theoretically, the study explicates framing theory given its relationship and appropriateness to the characterisation of issues in the selected newspapers in relation to the conflict. This study finds that the largest number of the stories analysed were characterised and framed around disunity and disintegration while death and economy dominate the themes that were reported in the selected newspapers over other themes. Therefore, the study concludes that, the strategic position of a newspaper is a considerable factor that should propel journalists to place high premium on social responsibility, public service and accountability in conflict reporting.References
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