WOMEN LIBERATION STEREOTYPED COVERAGE AND REPORTING IN NIGERIA: A STUDY OF THE NATION AND VANGUARD NEWSPAPERS

WOMEN LIBERATION STEREOTYPED COVERAGE AND REPORTING IN NIGERIA: A STUDY OF THE NATION AND VANGUARD NEWSPAPERS

ABSTRACT

Over the years it has been the belief that men are more important than women or are far more significant and more valuable than women, more worthwhile than women, and that women role are complementary to that of men. This work investigated the newspaper coverage of women liberation stereotype and reportage in Nigeria using content analysis. The assessment was alone to a period of six months April to September 2013, and the Vanguard and the Nation Newspapers were content analyzed. A sample size of 60 editions from both newspapers was studied within the study period. The code sheet method was used in collecting data. The data was presented in simple tables of frequency distribution and percentages. An analysis of the data showed that though the Nation Newspaper covered more on the subject matter tan the Vanguard newspaper, their coverage towards women liberation in Nigeria is low. The study recommended among other things that newspapers in Nigeria should show more commitment and importance to women liberation issues in Nigeria since such issues are seen as important based on media attachments to such issues, emphasis should be placed on women liberation issues in Nigeria through frequency of reportage and interpretations.  

TABLE OF CONTENTS                                                                PAGES

Title page    -        -        -        -        -        -        -        -        -       

Certification         -        -        -        -        -        -        -        -

Dedication  -        -        -        -        -        -        -        -

Acknowledgements -               -        -        -        -        -        -

Abstract -   -        -        -        -        -        -        -        -        -

Table of contents -        -        -        -        -        -        -

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.0            Introduction         -        -        -        -        -        -        -

1.1     Statement of the problem

1.2     Objectives of the study

1.3     Significance of the study

1.4     Research questions

1.5     Scope of the study

1.6     Limitations of the study

1.7     Operationalization of terms

CHAPTER TWO

LITERATURE REVIEW

2.0     Introduction

2.1     Conceptual review

2.2     Empirical review

2.3     Theoretical framework

2.3.1  Theory of parenting style

2.3.2Social learning theory

2.3.3Rational choice theory

CHAPTER THREE

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

3.1     Research design

3.2     Population

3.3     Sample size

3.4     Sampling technique

3.5     Method of data analysis

CHAPTER FOUR

DATA PRESENTATION, INTERPRETATION AND ANALYSIS

4.0     Data analysis

4.1     Respondents personal data

4.2     Discussion of findings

CHAPTER FIVE

SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

5.1     Summary

5.2     Conclusion

5.3     Recommendations

REFERENCES

Appendix I

Appendix II (Questionnaire)

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1     BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

          Women are a peculiar breed of human beings. They form a gender group sometimes referred to as the weaker vessels. This appellation is predicated on the character attributes and physical endowments that women have in contrast to their male counterparts. These attributes, which in most cases are fewer than those of the male mark them out as those to be given special attention and consideration in most cases.

          Women by their very nature are simple, caring, protective and above all humane in their approach to life and issues. They may or may not in the present dispensation not been properly portrayed in the media in a society like ours that is orthodox and male dominated. The media usually projects women in a negative degrading manner (Bronstein, 2005).

          The mass media has not been kind toward women and hostile, inaccurate stereotyping has continued to emerge through media imagery, messaging and inherent attitude today (p.29).

          The women is historically misrepresented and maligned at the hands of journalists who tend to stereotype them and frame them interms of outdated perceptions; today according to Bronstein, journalists tend to perpetuate misperceptions by failing to distinguish between the differing values, goals, and ideas embraced by those engaged in evolving waves of the women.

          According to (Lukas, 2002) as evidence by recent mass media features and advertisements complied by the Gender Ads project vicious feminist stereotypes endure in pieces such as a male-biased November 2003 maxim magazine articles purporting to “cure a feminist, turn unshaven militant, protesting vegan into an actual girl. This misguided and intolerant directive, purporting to be an informative source, alludes that men have the power to change women’s minds and mold them.

          Other print depictions of women such as that displayed in male-oriented cake magazine photo spread obtained by the Gender Acts project, continued to focus on errant stereotypes of feminist as  sex starved lesbians entertaining male audiences with images of prostrate, half naked female forms (p.92).

          Although media has been instrumental in allowing the voices of the women to be heard, it has also acted to counteract feminist progress by perpetuating gender hostility and stereotypical imagery.

          The topic of women liberation receives historical treatment as uncomfortable joke through many forms of media. Marketers often mock the concept of female empowerment through patronizing messaging and exaggerated imagery. Despite the fact that two income households have become the norm of modern married American couples, the media habitually persist in forcing women into caretaker roles within its portrayals of frustrated wives who must clean up after everyone else in the household.

          When past or current media directly references, the topics of feminism or feminist women are almost inevitably cast in negative, demeaning stereotypes. For instance, 1973 newspapers advertisement for shredded wheat delivers a double blow to women (Lukas, 2002). Although its purpose was to inform female buyers about the popularity and nutritional value of the product, most prominent in the advertisement was the clear trivializing of women’s success in gaining the right to vote. This attitude is apparent in the condescending language referring to “emancipation” and in the comparison of disproportional numbers regarding women who would vote versus women who had chosen shredded wheat. In addition, the advertisement refers to “the housewife” whose only concern should focus on her family is nutrition, typifying “American womenhood” in housekeeping terms. Here, the self-apparent bias strives to whitewash the importance of women’s right to vote in favour of pushing a particular brand of breakfast cereal.

1.2     STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

          Women by their very nature are simple, caring, protective and above all humane in their approach to life and issues. They may or may not in the present dispensation not been properly portrayed in the media in a society like ours that is orthodox and male dominated.

          The women’s liberation is historically misrepresented and maligned at the hands of the journalists who tend to stereotype feminists of outdated perceptions.

          Women are relegated to the supportive roles depicting vicarious fantasies. These women who play whores and sensual singers have little role to play. When they are actually featured, they are social butterflies, mothers, sisters and wives in the background extras to forebear who are ignored; women are offered a media image of the female as passive, docile, dependent, incompetent, irrational and quite unable to lead an independent life. The crux of the therefore is this: Are women actually liberated by Nigerian press?

1.3     PURPOSE OF THE STUDY

          The general purpose of the study is to examine the news coverage of women liberation stereotyped coverage and reportage in Nigeria. Specifically, the following are the objectives:

1.     To determine how the press in Nigeria perceive women liberation.

2.     To investigate the role of the Nigerian press in liberating women.

3.     To find out the extent to which Nigerian press has given prominence to women liberation.

1.4     RESEARCH QUESTIONS

          The following research questions still be raised by the researcher based on the objectives of the study.

1.     How is the Nigerian press perceiving women liberation?

2.     What are the roles of the Nigerian press in liberating women?

3.     To what extent has women liberation given prominence in the Nigerian press?

1.5     SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

          The outcome of the study will be of immense importance to students of journalism, practicing female journalists, media houses especially those of the print media, regulatory bodies of the media, institutes offering mass communications; the outcome of the research will be an opener to media practitioners for better news coverage on issues that are not based on agenda-setting but on news that the people need to effectively bring clearing calls to its development.

          The outcome of the study will serve as a benchmark to students and researchers in mass communication profession and other related disciplines.

1.6     SCOPE OF THE STUDY

          This study is primarily concerned with the coverage of women liberation stereotyped coverage and reporting in Nigeria by the Nigerian newspapers. Therefore, the research focuses on the contexts of two newspapers with national coverage. The nation and the vanguard published between may-November 2012 and a total number of 60 issues would be examined in the study.

1.7     LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

          Access to resource materials almost limited the success of this study. It would have been more revealing to study the electronic media side by side than their print counterparts. Interviews would have given a greater insight into the extent to which the people depend on the mass media for news and how much they know about them to protect women liberation and the kind of coverage given to their liberation.

1.8     DEFINITION OF TERMS

1.     Coverage: Within the content of this study, coverage is a situation when an event is reported either in the newspaper, radio or television inform of news.  

2.     Newspaper: A newspaper can be defined as a set of large folded sheets of printed papers containing news, pictures advertisements, features, articles, and correspondence which is sold daily or periodically.

3.     Liberation: To free somebody from a particular thing that has restricted him of enjoyment.

4.     Reportage: The reporting of news or the typical style in which this is done in newspapers or on television and radio.

5.     Media: The channels through which people received information either through the radio, television, newspapers etc.