ANALYSIS OF FEAR APPEAL MESSAGES IN SELECTED NIGERIAN NEWSPAPERS REPORTING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

This study examines the reportage of the COVID-19 pandemic in selected Nigerian newspapers. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had a significant impact on global health, making it crucial to understand how media outlets reported the issue. The objectives of this study were to determine the frequency of fear appeal messages, identify their components, and assess the balance between threat and efficacy. The study focused on four purposively selected newspapers: Blueprint, Daily Trust, The Sun, and Vanguard. The study population comprised 7,415 COVID-19-related articles published between March 1, 2020, and February 28, 2021. Findings revealed the widespread use of fear appeal messages across newspapers. Furthermore, both the threat and efficacy components were present, with a slight dominance of threat appeals. Reporting by newspapers showed a modest imbalance, favouring threat over efficacy. The study concludes that Nigerian newspapers significantly contributed to shaping the public perception of the pandemic through fear-based reporting. It recommends, among other things, that future health crisis communication in newspapers should strengthen the balance between the components of threat and efficacy to promote responsible public behaviour