Textual Analysis of Media Propaganda in Local News Surrounding Post-Election Threats in Nigeria

Abstract

Media propaganda has been a common tool for political actors to influence public perception and opinion. In the aftermath of the 2023 general elections exercise held in Nigeria, the issue of post-election threats dominated local news coverage. This study has made use of textual analysis approach to analyse the media propaganda in local news surrounding post-election threats in Nigeria and the implications of such propaganda on the receiving audience. The study was anchored on the Media Framing Theory and is supported by the Agenda Setting Theory. A textual analysis of selected local news stories was conducted to identify dominant themes and the framing of the post-election threats from four online newspapers. The research showed that media propaganda played a significant role in shaping the public discourse and framing the post-election threats in Nigeria. From textual analytical submissions, the study concluded that when unchecked, media agenda and framing unnecessarily heat up the polity, deepen misunderstanding and inspire anarchy.