Framing of the 2023 Nigerian general elections in the headlines of selected Nigerian newspapers

Abstract Elections are the fundamentals of democratic governance, and the media, particularly the newspapers, play crucial roles in shaping electoral discourse by providing information, setting agendas, and framing political events. This study focused mainly on how the media, especially newspapers, presented the 2023 Nigerian General Elections in their headlines and the objectives were to identify the dominant frames used by the newspapers in reporting the general election, the newspaper with the highest frame and the tone of words used in presenting the headlines of the elections. Using the purposive sampling technique, three newspapers: The Guardian, Punch, and Daily Independent Newspapers were selected. The sample comprised daily front-page selection of election-related headlines published by the selected newspapers between December 2022 and March 2023, covering the pre-election, election, and post-election. The findings showed that the political frame and neutral tone were the most frequently used. This was attributed to the nature of the election, which was adjudged to be very competitive. It was concluded that newspapers and media in general play a crucial role in democracy sustenance through framing of elections news. Key Words: Newspaper, Headline, Framing, Election, Political Communication About the Authors * Anayo Raphael Ngene is the principal of Kassie Braun Memorial Schools, Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, Nigeria and a doctoral candidate in communication management at Nnamdi Azikiwe University Business School, Awka, Anambra State, Nigeria. His areas of interest are Development Communication, New Media, Language and Media Studies. ** Chinwe Elizabeth Uzochukwu, Ph.D., is a Professor in the Department of Mass Communication, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State, Nigeria. Her research interest is in Development/Health Communication. JCMR Journal of Communication and Media Research, Vol. 17, No. 2, October 2025, pp. 64-77 © Association of Media and Communication Researchers of Nigeria (AMCRON). Article Citation Ngene, A. R. & Uzochukwu, C. E. (2025). Framing of the 2023 Nigerian general elections in the headlines of selected Nigerian newspapers. Journal of Communication and Media Research, 17 (2): 64-77. Full Article Words: 6,792 Pages: 14 To access full article, click on download.