The 2002 Miss World pageant scheduled to take place in Nigeria turned into a controversial event, especially after a local newspaper published a blasphemous article about the Prophet Muhammad. How this controversy was framed in the op-ed pages of eight selected Nigerian newspapers was the first focus of this study. Using framing analysis approach, the study identified the key frames that were employed by these newspapers in their narratives about ethnicity, religion, and gender—the central issues around which the controversy revolved. A second focus of the study was the evaluation of the selected newspapers' performance based on the social responsibility theory of the press. The results of the study indicated that the selected newspapers were complicit in perpetuating the controversy due to their engagement in regional, ethnic and religious activism. The newspapers were set apart in terms of which region of the country they were based. More specifically, the Southern-based newspapers were selective in favor of Christianity and the South, while the Northern based newspapers were favorable to Islam and the North. With regard to gender, the newspapers presented two divergent frames: an oppositional frame based on religious cultural morality by arguing that the pageant is bad for women because it promotes public display of nudity, debases and exploits women, as well as undermines the African concept of beauty. In contrast, supporters of the pageant argued that the pageant was good for Nigeria's economy, as well as the improvement of its international image and tourism industry. The study finally concluded that the selected newspapers behaved irresponsibly, and therefore failed to fulfill the ethical tenets of the social responsibility theory.
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