Marginalising the Majority: Nigerian Newspapers’ Coverage of the Rural Sections in a Profit- Driven Economy

Abstract

The study examined the performance of Nigerian print media, in the

context of neoliberalism, regarding their coverage of the less-urban

sections as compared to the attention given to the urban centres. The social

responsibility, developmental media, and social exclusion theories

provided the theoretical framework for the study. The Guardian, The

Nigerian Tribune and The Vanguard—out of the national quality

newspapers in Nigeria—were randomly selected for content analysis, while

six reporters and two editors from the newspapers were purposively

selected for in-depth interviews. Performances of the selected newspapers

showed that they did not fare well in their social responsibilities and

development roles. The newspapers gave more attention to the urban

centres to the neglect of the rural sections while they placed monetary

value on the scanty events they reported from the rural sections. The only

occasions when the rural sections received appreciable media attention was

when negatives stories broke. This trend negates the tenets of social

responsibility and national development. All regulating agencies in the

Nigerian media industry must be alive to their statutory responsibilities in

order to ensure balance and fairness in the media coverage of different

sections and groups in the country