Images of Food Insecurity in Nigeria

This exploratory study investigates images of food insecurity in Nigeria and the possible impact of these images. The study is an invitation to dialogue among the host of scholars and practitioners who are interested in food issues, on the one hand, and in communication and media effects, on the other hand. This study takes up the challenge offered by Hariman and Lucaites to do more work on the reception of photographs by combining three methodologies to assess reactions to ten photographs. Indeed, the triangulation of perspectives and methods yielded better results than a rhetorical/critical method alone. The study reflects current scholarly interest in visual rhetoric and applies insights from this field to the important issue of food insecurity. Nigeria, the most populous nation in Africa, is the focus, because, as a developing nation with strong agricultural roots, enriched by oil revenues, Nigeria has the potential to feed its people. Key Words: Food Insecurity, Media Effects, Visual Rhetoric, Images, Nigeria JCMRJournal of Communication and Media Research, Vol. 6, No. 2, October 2014, 1 – 20 ©Delmas Communications Ltd. About the author Dr. Michael S. Bruner, Ph.D., is a Professor in the Department of Communication, Humboldt State University, One Harpst Street, Arcata, California 95521, United States of America. †Acknowledgement The author would like to thank the Editor, Dr. Eserinune M. Mojaye, and the reviewers of the Journal of Communication and Media Research for their thoughtful suggestions and valuable insights.