Reporting Political Campaigns in Nigeria: A Study of News Coverage of Acn Rally in Uyo by the Pioneer and the Sensor Newspapers

This study investigated the coverage of Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) political rally of 16th October, 2010 held in Uyo by two local newspapers in Akwa Ibom State. The study intended to find out how the two newspapers adhered to the principle of fairness in their reportage of political event in a multi-party setting. Content analysis was the study design used. A total of 39 issues of the two newspapers made up of 17 for The Pioneer and 22 for The Sensor covering pre- and post- ACN rally were analyzed. Findings showed that ACN rally constituted only five per cent of the total political news items reported in the state owned tabloid The Pioneer newspaper and the content direction was 80% unfavourable. It was also found out that The Sensor newspaper reported more stories on the rally with 89% being favourable. The study therefore recommended that journalists should not allow ownership structure of newspapers to deny the public the right to information especially in an electioneering period, where electorates need information for the right choice of candidates. Key Words: Political Campaigns, Elections, News Coverage, Newspapers, Ownership Interests. JCMRJournal of Communication and Media Research, Vol. 3, No. 1, April 2011, 41 – 53. © Delmas Communications Ltd. About the authors *Dr. Aniefiok Udoudo is a Lecturer in the Department of Linguistics and Communication Studies, University of Port Harcourt, Port Harcourt, Nigeria. **Bassey Esuk Bassey is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Linguistics and Communication Studies, University of Port Harcourt, Port Harcourt, Nigeria.