What does this research mean for the field?

Nigerian newspaper coverage of the 2017 floods predominantly utilized a human impact frame, relied heavily on government sources, and attributed the disaster to a mix of human actions and climate-related factors. Novelty: ClaimNovelty.INCREMENTAL. Consensus alignment: ConsensusAlignment.NEUTRAL.

What question did this study set out to answer?

This work investigates media coverage of the 2017 floods in Nigeria, focusing on framing and sources.

June 18, 2026

Coverage, reportage and framing of the 2017 floods in Nigeria by three selected Nigerian newspapers

Key Points

This work investigates media coverage of the 2017 floods in Nigeria, focusing on framing and sources.
Content analysis of articles from The Punch, Vanguard, and Leadership newspapers.
Assessment of coverage volume, story sources, and framing techniques used by the selected newspapers in 2017.
Use of a code sheet for systematic data collection.
Findings indicated significant media coverage of the floods, with government officials as the most cited source.
Identified causes include human factors such as disregard for environmental laws and climate-related issues like high rainfall and rising sea levels.
The predominant framing emphasized the human impact of the floods on affected Nigerians.

Abstract

*IJEOMA DORATHY AJAERO, Ph.D. the sources of stories; identified causes (climate related and human causes) of the flood, and the dominant frame employed by the selected newspapers. The online editions of The Punch, Vanguard and Leadership newspapers were content analyzed. The findings are based on analysis of articles published by the three newspapers in 2017. The code sheet served as the instrument for data collection. Results showedthat the media did give coverage to the 2017 floods, with government/government officials as the most cited source; causes of the 2017 floods ranged from disregard for environmental laws and poor drainage/infrastructure, to high rainfall, rise in sea level and climate change as identified human and climate-related causes of the flood; the dominant frame was the human impact frame as the 2017 floods reports portrayed the impact of the floods on Nigerians. Based on the findings, the study concluded among others that an in-depth assessment of the floods and its effect should be made available to the media so that they can use the report to better inform the public. Key Words: Newspaper, Framing, 2017 Flood, Climate-Related Causes, Human Causes JCMR Journal of Communication and Media Research, Vol. 12, No. 2, October 2020, pp. 54-63 © Association of Media and Communication Researchers of Nigeria (AMCRON). About the authors *Ijeoma Dorathy Ajaero, Ph.D., is a Lecturer in the Department of Mass Communication, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria. Her research interest spans media sociology, gender studies, environment and health communication. **Chidiebere A. Nwachukwu, Ph.D., is a lecturer in the Department of Mass Communication, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria. His research interest is in health and environmental communication. Full Article Words: 6,147 Pages: 10 To access full article, click on download. Article Citation Ajaero, I. D. & Nwachukwu, C. A. (2020). Coverage, reportage and framing of the 2017 floods in Nigeria by three selected Nigerian newspapers. Journal of Communication and Media Research, 12 (2): 54 – 63.

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