Comparative Analysis of Public and private Broadcast Media Surveillance of the Boko Haram Insurgency in Nigeria

摘要

The surveillance function of the broadcast media is one of the viable ways through which crisis can be managed and societies placed on the part of peace and progress. It is based on this premise that this study did a comparative analysis of the public and private broadcast media surveillance of the Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria with special emphasis on frequency, prominence and contributions in the fight against the insurgency. Five generic frames-security tips, public awareness, public education, promotion of dialogue and promotion of the spirit of patriotism- were constructed as indicators in determining broadcast media contributions in the fight against the insurgency. Through a content analysis design and systematic sampling procedure, two each of public and private broadcast media in Nigeria were sampled. Results suggest that public broadcast had higher frequency (60%) of coverage of Boko Haram issues than the private (40%) ones. The same percentages are applicable to prominence given to the insurgency by both media groups. Results further revealed that public broadcast media contributed more (65%) in the fight against the insurgency in Nigeria than their private counterpart. The researcher recommends among others, the enactment of an act of parliament mandating all broadcast media in Nigeria to dedicate at least 55% of their programming in the surveillance of the Boko Haram insurgency with a view to effectively managing the precarious situation in Nigeria.