Taking us to the Vulnerability Scene: Television News Coverage and Framing of Internally Displaced Persons in Nigeria

Abstract

Abstract Despite the growing interest in the internally displaced person's (IDPs) media coverage in developing countries, studies on visual coverage are still in their embryonic stages. In this view, we examined Television news coverage of IDPs in Nigeria. We studied two broadcasting channels; Channels TV and the Nigeria Television Authority (NTA) from October 2018 to October 2019. We also interviewed some journalists and editors who reported and edited stories on IDPs. We anchored our study on the framing theory. Results showed that the two media outlets covered (n = 102) stories of IDPs. However, the private media (Channels TV) paid more attention to IDPs. Also, the private press placed more IDPs stories on its headline and most of which appeared in the first two headlines. Additional findings showed a significant difference in the visual frames; the private media used more visual and motion footages. Results from the interviews suggest that media ownership and control, media sources, advertisers, lack of adequate training, insufficient remuneration/incentive, and competition/ deadline syndrome influence media framing and coverage of IDPs in Nigeria. We concluded with some theoretical and practical implications.