Assessing the Nigerian Diaspora Media Influence in the Homeland Media Turf: Complementary or Alternative Roles

This paper examines the roles of online diaspora news media within the homeland media space in Nigeria, ascertaining whether the online diaspora news media represents an alternative news platform to the homeland audience. Also, it investigates whether the diaspora media's reportorial style and news processing differ from the homeland mainstream media system. The study adopts semi-structured interviews and qualitative content analysis for its methodology. The sample population for the semi-structured interview consists of twenty-seven respondents selected through the purposive sampling technique. For the content analysis, sixty-eight news stories from six news outlets, including diaspora and homeland online media platforms, were analysed. Findings highlight marked differences in the form, structure, and ethical approach of diaspora news and mainstream homeland media. Also, the study results show that citizens view the diaspora news sites as platforms that break and provide information the mainstream media may not report due to political interference and other operational restraints. In addition, the diaspora provides a discursive sphere for citizens to debate public matters freely without the stringent moderation mechanisms of mainstream media.