Reportage of Environmental Issues in Northern Nigeria by Select Newspapers

Abstract In today’s world, artificial activities and natural disasters are putting the environment and its inhabitants at risk. Among the dangers experienced in Northern Nigeria are dryness and desertification, flooding, erosion, climate change and pollution. These adversely affect food security, health and socio-economic activities of the people in the country. As such, this study aimed to assess newspaper reportage of environmental issues in Northern Nigeria with the following objectives: To find the level of attention given to environmental issues in the select newspapers, to ascertain the environmental issues that are given more prominence by the newspapers and to analyse the frames used in reporting the environmental issues in the newspapers. The researchers employed content analysis, focusing on select newspapers from January 2011 to December 2020. The study was anchored on agenda-setting and framing theories. Findings showed that the level of attention given to environmental issues by all the newspapers is low and flood was the most prominent environmental issue reported by all the newspapers. The stories were framed mostly in the recommendation/solutions frame. The study concluded that despite the increase in environmental disasters across the north, the newspapers paid little attention to environmental issues and desertification and the most prominent environmental issue in Northern Nigeria, was not given much attention. The study recommended that journalists consider the socio-economic impact of environmental issues and use their agenda-setting role to frame environmental issues so that the public will feel their importance. Keywords: Newspaper Reportage, Environmental Issues, People’s Daily, Daily Trust, Leadership, Northern Nigeria