Regional parallelism in press coverage of corruption in Nigeria? Evidence from quantitative content analysis of four privately-owned newspapers

Abstract Studies of political journalism in Nigeria have often accused the press of bias along ethnic, regional or sectarian lines. Agbaje (1993), for example, says that the Nigerian press displays “particularistic” ethnic or regional tendencies rather than more broadly “nationalistic” or “universalist” ones. Yusha’u (2010) refers to this tendency as “regional parallelism” in Nigerian press coverage of corruption in such a way reporting takes an “ethnic and regional dimension, with each section of the country and its media trying hard to reveal the atrocities of the other”. This paper, therefore, asks: to what extent is regional parallelism manifested in press coverage of corruption over time? Through a quantitative content analysis of frontpage news reports of corruption in four leading dailies over the period 2001 to 2012, the study finds little variation between the newspapers in their coverage of corruption in terms of frequency or prominence. It thus concludes that ethno-regional and religious considerations might influence press coverage of more politically charged issues like elections or inter-communal conflict than they do coverage of corruption. Hence there is the need for nuance in delineating and understanding Nigerian press behaviour and performance in different reporting contexts. Key Words: Nigerian Press, Corruption, Regional Parallelism, Content analysis. About the Author * Suleiman Amu Suleiman, Ph.D., is the Chairman Editorial Board/Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Daily Trust Newspaper, Abuja, Nigeria. Hitherto, he was Assistant Professor in Media, Politics and Governance at the American University, Yola (2018-2021); Lecturer in Media and Politics at the University of East Anglia, Norwich (2014-2018) and Assistant Lecturer in Mass Communication, Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University, Lapai (2011-2013). His research interests are in the areas of political communications, media, policy and governance, new media, and communication research methods. JCMR Journal of Communication and Media Research, Vol. 16, No. 1, April 2024, pp.131- 142 © Association of Media and Communication Researchers of Nigeria (AMCRON). Article Citation Suleiman, S. A. (2024). Regional parallelism in press coverage of corruption in Nigeria? Evidence from quantitative content analysis of four privately-owned newspapers. Journal of Communication and Media Research, 16 (1): 131-142. Full Article Words: 7,788 Pages: 12 To access full article, click on download.