NEWSPAPERS COVERAGE OF THE 2021 GUBERNATORIAL PRIMARIES CONFLICTS IN ANAMBRA STATE – A STUDY OF THREE DAILY NATIONAL DAILIES

Abstract

This research examined how three national newspapers in Nigeria (Daily Sun, The Guardian, and The Vanguard) covered the conflicts that arose during the 2021 gubernatorial primaries in Anambra State. The researchers used the agenda-setting theory to analyse the news reports and determined the depth, direction, and dominant frames used to report on the crises. The study lasted eight months, from April 1st to November 30th, 2021, and analysed 732 editions of the selected newspapers using content analysis. The results showed that the depth of coverage of the 2021 gubernatorial election party primaries crisis in Anambra state by the selected newspapers is related to the framing of stories; that the direction of the reportage by the three selected newspapers significantly correlated with journalism frames, and that Conflict frames and Informative frames were the dominant news frames in the coverage.it concluded that the findings emphasised the importance of journalistic frames in shaping media coverage. The recommendations made were that newspapers should utilise their coverage of election crises to further explore the agenda-setting theory, that newspapers should use their coverage of election crises to help manage and resolve crises through communication; that the coverage of gubernatorial election party primary crises should be approached with caution regarding journalistic framing, and that newspapers should use their coverage of gubernatorial election party primary crises to encourage political participation and interaction between voters and candidates. Keywords: Conflicts, Coverage, Election, Frame, Gubernatorial, Primaries.