Public Perception of Female Journalists in North-East Nigeria

Abstract This study examined the public perception of female journalists, using north-east Nigeria as the study area. The objectives of the study were to: examine gendered conception of journalistic roles as perceived by the public in north-east Nigeria; find out the perception of public on female journalists; and find out the cultural and religious influence on the perception of the role of female journalists. The study employed survey research method, where 300 questionnaires were administered to purposively selected respondents in the headquarters of Taraba and Borno States - Jalingo and Maiduguri respectively. The states and cities were mainly selected based on population as well as concentration of media organisations and journalists. Demographically the respondents cut across various, educational qualifications, sex, age brackets and culture. Findings revealed that while the respondents have positive perception towards female journalists and think that female journalists have roles to play in journalism profession, their perception were neither influenced by their gender nor by religious or cultural values. Key Words: Public Perception, Female Journalists, Journalistic Roles, Gendered Conception *Abubakar Jibril is a Lecturer in the Department of Mass Communication, Taraba State University, Jalingo, Nigeria **Abdulmutallib Abubakar is a Lecturer in the Department of Mass Communication, University of Maiduguri, Maiduguri, Borno State, Nigeria JCMR Journal of Communication and Media Research, Vol. 9, No. 2, October 2017, 108 – 119