Assessment of media coverage of environmental hazards in mining communities in Ebonyi State, Nigeria

Abstract

This study investigated the magnitude of media coverage of environmental hazards in the mining communities in Ebonyi State, Nigeria. Motivated by the poor agricultural yields and increased prevalence of health challenges in the mining communities, it was established that the media is indispensable in the fight for a healthy environment in the State. However, the failure of the mass media in the State to embark on any form of environmental communication in order to monitor environmental issues made the fight almost impossible. Thus, the study set out to determine how committed and professional the media were in the fight. A sample size of 25 media practitioners, two radio stations and four newspapers all domiciled in the State were assessed using multi-staged random sampling technique. The study employed quantitative and qualitative research designs with questionnaire, interview and content analysis as instruments for data collection. Findings revealed that the mass media in the State were not involved in the fight for a healthy environment; none of them had environmental column/desk to monitor environmental hazards arising from mining activities in the State. The research concluded that the mass media should scrutinize the affairs of the State environmental actors in order for them to hold the mining companies accountable and protect the interests of the mining communities in the State.