Nigerian press coverage of hate speeches and negative campaigns in the 2015 presidential elections

Abstract Globally, hate speech has attracted attention among scholars and professionals in the areas of journalism, politics, conflict studies and comparative religious studies. Recently too, the Federal government of Nigeria demonstrated its disdainful disposition to speeches deemed incendiary apparently because of its potential to induce violence and hatred against the vulnerable individuals and groups. Against this backdrop, this study examined Nigerian press coverage of hate speeches and other negative media campaign in 2015 Presidential election. It also assessed how hate speeches has contributed to engendering political tension, instability and violence in the Nigerian political landscape. Content analysis was adopted as research method because it focused on the manifest content of newspapers. Using two Nigerian newspapers, The Nation and The Punch, the study sought to ascertain the prominence, major source and tone of hate speeches and to whom they were directed. The two newspapers were discovered to have given prominence to hate speeches in their reportage within the period of analysis. Key Words: Hate Speech; Negative Campaign; Presidential Election; Coverage; Nigerian Press. *Hassan Biodun Suleiman is a Lecturer in the Department of Journalism, School of Communication, Lagos State University, Ojo, Lagos, Nigeria. **Toyosi Olugbenga Samson Owolabi, Ph.D. is a Lecturer in the Department of Journalism, School of Communication, Lagos State University, Ojo, Lagos, Nigeria JCMR Journal of Communication and Media Research, Vol. 10, No. 1, April 2018, 52 – 62