REPRESENTATION OF NIGERIA BY GHANAIAN PRINT MEDIA A STUDY OF NEWS FRAMING AND ITS EFFECT ON PERCEPTION AND ATTITUDE

Abstract

Today, we can quite confidently say that the mass media is fundamentally changing the structure of the society and our existence in the world. The media has become our eyes to the world. In view of these assertions, this study was conducted to empirically ascertain the pattern of news representation accorded Nigeria and Nigerians by Ghanaian print media and equally to investigate the consequence of such representation on the perceptions and attitudes of Ghanaians towards Nigerians. newlinePerhaps this study is the first ever research to investigate the news framing of Nigeria by Ghanaian print media and also the first to examine the effects of the representation on the perceptions and attitudes of Ghanaians. newlineThis research project was based on content analysis as well as survey research. News framing was measured through content analysis of the four major national newspapers of the country: Daily Graphic, Daily Guide, The Ghanaian Time and the Chronicle. These newspapers were selected for the content analysis because they are the largest widely circulated English newspaper in Ghana. newlineThe cultivation analysis about these issues was measured through the survey research. A comprehensive questionnaire was formulated and got filled by the Ghanaian and Nigerian readers of the four newspapers separately. The results of the survey research (cultivation analysis) were then compared with the findings of the content analysis (news framing). newlineWhile conducting this study, the rationales for the study were clearly established. Special instruments were developed by the researcher which was used for generating data in this research. Besides, the coding sheets used in collecting data from the aforementioned newspapers, a total of one thousand hundred and seventy questionnaires were distributed to respondents and were collected for analysis. newlineThe results from the content analysis demonstrate that out of the stories on Nigeria covered by all the selected Ghanaian newspapers, 29.43% were positive in their framing, 27.69% were famed to be