Press Framing of Anti-Corruption War on Buhari’s First Year Anniversary

Abstract

This paper analyses how five Nigerian newspapers framed the fight against corruption embarked upon by the Buhari administration one year after his assumption of office (May 29, 2016). Using newspaper editorials published on Nigeria’s Democracy Day as unit of analysis, it draws on the methodological context of equivalent framing to demonstrate how the selected newspapers have framed the war against corruption which was the major thrust of the ‘Change’ campaign message articulated by Buhari as a Presidential aspirant and his political party (All Progressives’ Congress), during the build-up to the landmark 2015 general elections in Nigeria. Findings suggest that the Nigerian Press position on national issues, like the anti-corruption war, is subject to ethnic influence and political ownership as revealed by the ‘uncompromising frame’ and the ‘witch-hunting frame.’