An Evaluation of the Awareness and Behaviour of Journalists in Campaign for Child Rights Act in Nigeria
Chapter One
Objectives Of The Study
The primary aim of this study is to evaluate the awareness and behavior of journalists in the campaign for the Child’s Rights Act in Nigeria. Other points of consideration in this research are:
- Investigate the success of the Child Rights Act awareness campaign in Nigeria.
- Examine the ability of journalists to show or portray the Child Rights Act and its violation successfully
- Examine the level of involvement of journalists in the campaign for the Child Rights Act.
- Examine the portrayal of the Child Rights Act and its abuses to the public by journalists
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
Nwodu & Ezeoke (2012) studied the Press Coverage of Children’s and Women’s Rights in Nigeria aimed at ascertaining the nature, frequency, and volume of coverage given to issues relating to women and children’s rights in the Nigerian news media. The results showed that issues relating to the rights of women and children were poorly covered and denied prominent positioning in the Nigerian press.
Furthermore, Cheit (2003) examined the amount and content of all media coverage of child molestation defendants in one Rhode Island newspaper over five years. Among Cheit’s results, he found over 50 percent of the defendants’ cases not covered by the media at all, and he identified a few key aspects of the case he thought were likely led to covered: first-degree or multiple charges; multiple victims; additional violence; and long prison sentences. However, Cheit found coverage of the cases was minimal and were rarely detailed.
Kunkel, Smith, Suding, and Biely (2002) looked at the coverage of five child-related topics: child abuse and neglect, childcare, child health insurance, teen childbearing, and youth crime and violence. The study’s goals were to determine not just how frequently, but how thoroughly the media reported on these topics. The authors found although child abuse and neglect and youth crime/violence together accounted for the majority of all coverage, only 11 percent of child maltreatment stories used a thematic frame. The vast majority of child maltreatment stories simply reported individual incidents and legal actions being taken against the perpetrator. Among the other findings in stories about child abuse and neglect:
- Only 5 percent of the stories offered any contextual information, and parents and children were used as sources less than half the time
- Statistics and public policy concerns were mentioned only 9 and 17 percent of the time, respectively
- Almost none (2 percent) of the information was determined to be useful to parents (e.g., parenting tips, sources of support)
Kunkel et al (2002) also concluded that the media must strive to reduce the number of stories published on children’s issues in isolation and rather suggested reporters should put the stories in context regarding the communities in which families live and the public policy climate for children’s issues—doing so will help the reader place the incident within broader patterns and trends.
Oyero (2009), while analyzing the children’s rights’ issues in both Nigerian and Ghanaian newspapers, found similar results. In content analyzing two newspapers each from Nigeria and Ghana, the findings showed that the presentation of children by the two countries’ newspapers did not deliver the expected understanding of child rights’ issues, due to under reportage of children and that children’s issues are not given extensive treatment by the media, rather presented as not newsworthy, with children’s voices poorly represented in issues affecting them.
It is in light of this that Oyero (2009) surmises the challenge to media professionals at all levels and in all media as: to raise awareness in the media professions about the rights of children and how they can be protected and promoted by good professional practices or harmed through inappropriate policies or actions. The other is to work ethically and professionally according to sound media practices and to develop and promote media codes of ethics in order to avoid sensationalism, stereotyping (including by gender) or undervaluing of children and their rights.
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
INTRODUCTION
In this chapter, we described the research procedure for this study. A research methodology is a research process adopted or employed to systematically and scientifically present the results of a study to the research audience viz. a vis, the study beneficiaries.
RESEARCH DESIGN
Research designs are perceived to be an overall strategy adopted by the researcher whereby different components of the study are integrated in a logical manner to effectively address a research problem. In this study, the researcher employed the survey research design. This is due to the nature of the study whereby the opinion and views of people are sampled. According to Singleton & Straits, (2009), Survey research can use quantitative research strategies (e.g., using questionnaires with numerically rated items), qualitative research strategies (e.g., using open-ended questions), or both strategies (i.e., mixed methods). As it is often used to describe and explore human behaviour, surveys are therefore frequently used in social and psychological research.
POPULATION OF THE STUDY
According to Udoyen (2019), a study population is a group of elements or individuals as the case may be, who share similar characteristics. These similar features can include location, gender, age, sex or specific interest. The emphasis on study population is that it constitute of individuals or elements that are homogeneous in description.
This study was carried out for An evaluation of the awareness and behaviour of journalists in campaign for child rights act in Nigeria. Selected print journalists in the Pioneer Newspaper Company Uyo forms the population of the study.
CHAPTER FOUR
DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS
This chapter presents the analysis of data derived through the questionnaire and key informant interview administered on the respondents in the study area. The analysis and interpretation were derived from the findings of the study. The data analysis depicts the simple frequency and percentage of the respondents as well as interpretation of the information gathered. A total of hundred and twenty (120) questionnaires were administered to respondents of which 100 were returned. The analysis of this study is based on the number returned.
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS:
Introduction
This chapter summarizes the findings on the evaluation of the awareness and behaviour of journalists in campaign for child rights act in Nigeria, print journalists in the Pioneer Newspaper Company Uyo as case study. The chapter consists of summary of the study, conclusions, and recommendations.
Summary of the Study
In this study, our focus was on the evaluation of the awareness and behaviour of journalists in campaign for child rights act in Nigeria, print journalists in the Pioneer Newspaper Company Uyo as case study. The study is was specifically focused on examining the success of Child Rights Act awareness campaign in the Nigeria; examining the ability of journalists to show or portray the Child Rights Act and its violation successfully; Examine the level of involvement of journalists in the campaign for Child Rights Act and Examine the portrayal of Child Rights act and its abuses to the public by journalists.
The study adopted the survey research design and randomly enrolled participants in the study. A total of 100 responses were validated from the enrolled participants where all respondent are print journalists in the Pioneer Newspaper Company Uyo.
Conclusions
With respect to the analysis and the findings of this study, the following conclusions emerged;
Although individuals and organizations work to eliminate all forms of child exploitation, this paper concludes that such efforts will only have a lasting impact if the media are able to raise awareness and mobilize public opinion to this end. Journalists should therefore place child rights’ issues on their agenda by giving children fair representations, having established that coverage of children is very low in both the print and broadcast media in Nigeria. Since this study correlates with previous studies that child related issues especially their rights and issues of protection are not adequately represented in Nigerian media organizations
Recommendation
Based on the findings the researcher recommends that;
- The media should regularly incorporate these pertinent issues into their programmes..
- Media outlets reconsider the appointment of ‘children’s correspondents’, to improve a comprehensive report of all aspects of children’s rights and protections.
- Sensitization of journalists to regularly encourage the protection of child’s rights which would enable them the express the child’s point of view.
- New means of giving children access to the media as sources so they could tell their stories themselves.
References
- Awosola, R. K. & Omoera O. S. (2008). Child Rights and the Media: The Nigerian Experience. Studies on Home and Community Science, 2(2), 125-131
- Brawley, E. (1995), Human services and the media. Australia: Harwood Academic Publishers.
- Cheit, R. E. (2003). What hysteria? A systematic study of newspaper coverage of accused child
- molesters. Child Abuse & Neglect: The International Journal, 27(6), 607-623.
- Convention on the Rights of the Child. (1989). Adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations on 20th November.
- Folarin. B. (2005), Theories of mass communication: An introductory text. Ibadan: Bakinfol Publication.
- Internews Europe (2014). Protecting the rights of children: the role of the media. Lessons from Brazil, India and K e n y a . R e t r i e v e d f r o m https://internews.org/sites/default/files/resources/Interne wsEurope_ChildRightsMedia_R eport_2014.pdf
- Kerlinger, F. N. (1986) Foundations of Behavioural Research. New York: Holt: Rinehart and Winston.
