Abstract This study investigated the Nigerian newspapers’ coverage of the Corona virus (Covid-19) pandemic disease. Two prominent and daily circulated national newspapers: The Nation and The Guardian were chosen and content analyzed to determine the depth of coverage: size of spaces allocated to stories, positions of stories, sources of editorials, form and contents of the stories, speakers and actors interviewed and frequency allocated to Covid-19 news between 1st of December, 2019 to April 30th, 2020. The data analyzed revealed that 6 by 2 size and below constituted majority of the sizes, 62% in The Guardian and 50% in The Nation. Sources of stories reported in the newspapers were press conferences 18.2% in The Guardian and 22.5% in The Nation; press releases 16.7% in The Guardian and 22.8% in Nation and reporters’ analysis 27% in The Guardian and 20.4% in The Nation; both the Federal Government/ NCDC and Ministry of Health are the major actors and speakers interviewed on Covid-19 news by reporters. The press provided adequate coverage and assisted the government and health authorities to create awareness and mobilized citizens for the lock-down, social distancing practice and wearing of face masks to curtail the spread of the virus. As gatekeepers: editors, sub-editors and reporters demonstrated social responsibility in raising public awareness and consciousness about the pandemic. Key Words: COVID-19, Newspapers in Nigeria, Press Coverage. JCMR Journal of Communication and Media Research, Vol. 14, No. 2, October 2022, pp. 1-15 © Association of Media and Communication Researchers of Nigeria (AMCRON). About the authors * Olalekan Salmon Otun is a Lecturer in the Department of Mass Communication, Nigerian Institute of Journalism (NIJ), Ogba campus, Lagos, Nigeria. His areas of research interest include: Public Relations, Advertising and Health Communication. ** Kolade Ajilore, Ph.D. is a Professor and Head of the Department of Mass Communication, Babcock University, Ilishan-Remo, Ogun State, Nigeria. ***Karibi Benson Bobmanuel is a Lecturer in the Department of Mass Communication, Ken Saro- Wiwa Polytechnic, Bori, Rivers State, Nigeria. His areas of research interest include Development Communication, Broadcasting, Gender relations and Health Communication. Article Citation Otun, O.S., Ajilore, K. & Bobmanuel K.B. (2022). Nigerian newspapers’ coverage of COVID-19 pandemic: Content analysis of The Guardian and The Nation. Journal of Communication and Media Research, 14 (2): 1-15. Full Article Words: 9,129 Pages: 15 To access full article, click on download.
OTUN et al. (Mon,) studied this question.