Nigerian Newsrooms Under COVID-19 Lockdown
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Date
2021
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Political Economy section of the International Association of Media Communication Research (IAMCR)
Abstract
A global pandemic garners a great deal of media attention. The COVID-19 crisis is no
exception. It was distinctive because more than a third of the world’s population had
to undergo quarantine in the first quarter of 2020 which had far-reaching social
effects. This study provides a historical overview of Nigerian newspapers and
explores how the COVID-19 lockdown in Nigeria impacted upon the newsrooms of
mainstream media organizations. It draws on interviews with heads of newsrooms and
mid-management staff from six elite newspapers in the country. Findings reveal that
although the pandemic was economically challenging for news organizations, they
had no choice but to stay in business, providing information to the public during
lockdown and the protests which followed. This took a toll on journalists whose work
was impeded by mob and police actions and had broader implications for news
production and the survival of news organizations.
Description
Keywords
COVID-19, lockdown, journalists, Nigeria, #EndSARS
Citation
ABUBAKRE, F. (2021). Nigerian newsrooms under COVID-19 lockdown. The Political Economy of Communication, 9(1), 41–62.