Online Newspapers Reporting of Homeland and Politics to Diaspora Nigerians During the 2011 Nigerian Presidential Election: A Perspective from Malaysia
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Date
2014-12-01
Authors
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Department of Mass Communication, University of Lagos
Abstract
This study presented what Nigerian newspapers on the web beamed to Nigerian foreign resident citizens during the 2011 Nigerian presidential election. Premised on the importance of diasporas to homeland political development and the centrality of the web media to the migrants to today’s globalized world, the paper explored how homeland online papers connected the diasporas with Nigerian political transition. By content analyzing three major Nigerian online newspapers, the Daily trust, the Punch and the Vanguard, the papers concentrated on the supply side of information to Nigerians in diaspora, thus inundating them with what to think and how to think about the election and the candidates. Beyond presenting the key issues and candidates’ attributes covered in the online newspapers (the predictor variable in agenda-setting study) during the presidential election, this study found that Nigerian online newspapers prioritized election issues and candidates’ attributes differently from the main contenders in the election. The paper thus challenged the Nigerian media to consider the diasporic audience in their news production and distribution, particularly in the light of increasing agitation for direct political participation among Nigerians in diaspora.
Description
The paper challenges the Nigerian media to consider the diasporic audience in their news production and distribution, particularly in the light of increasing agitation for direct political participation among Nigerians in diaspora.
Keywords
Online newspapers, Homeland politics, Election issues, Candidates’ attributes, Nigerian 2011 presidential election
Citation
Mustapha, L. K. & Wok, S. (2014). Online Newspapers Reporting of Homeland and Politics to Diaspora Nigerians During the 2011 Nigerian Presidential Election: A Perspective from Malaysia. A Journal of Multimedia Technology & Communication Studies, 2(1), 124- 145.