Precio

The researcher conducted sampling for both the content analysis and key informant interview aspects of the study. The sample size for the content analysis was 432 newspaper editions. This size was chosen based on Basden and Wright’s (1997) recommendation that selecting one edition per week would be appropriate for a newspaper study extending up to a period of six months – and this study extends to a two-year period. Hence, for each of the four newspapers used here, 108 editions were selected (one from each of the 108 weeks that run between May 29 2015 and May 29 2017). These, on the whole, amounted to 432 editions (See Appendix VI).

This sample selection was conducted in two stages as follows:

i. Stage One: Selecting newspaper titles ii. Stage Two: Selecting newspaper editions

Stage One: Newspapers Titles

At this stage, the researcher employed judgment sampling procedure which allows a researcher to consciously choose from the population based on certain characteristics sought (Oppong, 2013). In selecting the newspaper titles, the researcher looked out for two major characteristics.

First was the market strength of a title and second is the ethnic background of the owner, i.e.

ethnic origin of the ownership. This latter characteristic was considered apt given that the subject

91 of the study was representation of ethnicity in newspapers. Besides, ownership and ethnicity are among factors that influence reportage in the Nigerian press generally (Olayiwola, 1991;

Adedeji, 2009; Daramola, 2013).

In considering the market strength of each of the newspapers, the researcher made use of statistics supplied by a 2009 study jointly commissioned by the Advertisers Association of Nigeria (ADVAN), the Media Independent Practitioners Association of Nigeria (MIPAN) and the Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria (AAAN). The study supervised by Zus Bureau, an independent media audit agency, in its report, rated the following 10 newspapers as the highest circulating in Nigeria in this order: The Punch, The Nation, The Sun, Vanguard, The Guardian, THISDAY, Daily Trust, Tribune, Champion and Compass (Ariyibi-Oke, 2010).

In considering the market strength of each of the newspapers, the researcher made use of statistics supplied by a 2009 study jointly commissioned by the Advertisers Association of Nigeria (ADVAN), the Media Independent Practitioners Association of Nigeria (MIPAN) and the Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria (AAAN). The study supervised by Zus Bureau, an independent media audit agency, in its report, rated the following 10 newspapers as the highest circulating in Nigeria in this order: The Punch, The Nation, The Sun, Vanguard, The Guardian, THISDAY, Daily Trust, Tribune, Champion and Compass (ADVAN, MIPAN and AAAN, 2009).

92 3.4.1.1. Brief Profile of Selected Newspaper Titles

The brief profiles of the selected newspapers are discussed as follows.

 The Sun:

The Sun is owned by Chief Orji Uzor Kalu, a politician and businessman. The newspaper was established in 2003 and is published in Lagos by The Sun Publishing Limited. Its readership is believed to be strongest in the South-East – an assertion now proven by statistics (Ariyibi-Oke, 2010). The Sun publishes under three major titles as follows: Daily Sun (flag ship), Saturday Sun and Sunday Sun. Other sister titles are Sporting Sun. The paper is modeled after the now defunct popular Sun newspaper of the United Kingdom. The Sun newspaper reports politics, economy, education, science, crimes, culture and sports, among other numerous subjects. Its daily circulation is put at 130, 000 – meaning that it ranks third nationally (Ariyibi-Oke, 2010). The Sun’s motto is “Voice of the Nation” and its mission statement is “To practice journalism in the classical newspaper tradition of presenting the news and features in an exciting style, with impact, objectivity and appeal that generate returns to all stakeholders; the society, the investors and the practitioners” (The Sun Publishing Limited, 2018).

 Daily Trust:

The Daily Trust is a newspaper owned by Media Trust, a private publishing company based in Abuja. It is published alongside Weekly Trust, Sunday Trust and an Hausa title Aminiya as well as a Pan-African Magazine, Kilimanjaro. The Weekly Trust was established in March 1998 and the Daily Trust was launched in January 2001. The Trust titles enjoy their strongest circulation in Northern Nigeria and are believed to be favouraby disposed to northern cum Islamic sentiments (Adedeji, 2009). Nationally, the newspaper is ranked fifth among Nigerian dailies in terms of advertising revenue, whereas within the North-East and North-West, it is ranked first, and in the North-Central, it is second only to The Sun). However, in terms of circulation, the paper ranks

93 seventh nationally with 11,672 daily sales representing 6.2 percent share of the market (Aribiyi-Oke, 2010). Daily Trust mission statement is “To disseminate credible information for the good of all stakeholders” (Media Trust Limited, 2018).

 Vanguard

Vanguard newspaper was established in 1984 by Mr. Sam Amuka, a renowned veteran journalist, columnist, former editor of the famous Sunday Times and the first Managing Director of the Punch Newspapers. He is of Itsekiri extraction in the Delta State of Nigeria. The paper’s first edition hit the newsstands on Sunday, June 3, 1984. Vanguard (daily) is published alongside Saturday Vanguard and Sunday Vanguard under the aegis of Vanguard Media Limited. The three titles carry news reports and other materials on a wide range of issues including politics, sports, advertising, management and marketing, maritime, energy, Hi-tech and computer, aviation, business and banking, tourism, health, labour, human angle, women affairs, education and insurance (Vanguard Media Limited, 2018). The paper devotes a considerable number of pages to Niger Delta issues daily and is perceived to have some soft spot for the region and its aspirations (Nosa, 2009). The paper’s circulation figures total 120,000 copies with a print run of 130,000 copies (Vanguard Media Limited, 2018). Its mission statement is “To impact positively on our Readers/Clients and society by providing high quality, reliable and affordable media products for promoting knowledge, political stability and economic prosperity” while its core values is equity and fairness, integrity, people-centerdness and excellence (Vanguard Media Limited, 2018).

 The Nation

The Nation is one of the national dailies in Nigeria. It was established July 31 2006 by a leading politician and opposition figure, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, a former Lagos State Governor. The paper

94 is published by Vintage Press Limited located in Lagos. The newspaper appears in three titles of The Nation (daily, flagship), The Nation on Saturday and The Nation on Sunday. The newspaper is printed simultaneously in Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt. The newspaper is ranked number two in the country both in terms of circulation and advertising revenue (Aribiyi-Oke, 2010). The newspaper has its strongest market base in the South-West region of the country and it is believed to be sympathetic to Yoruba interest (Nosa, 2009). The Nation’s mission statement embodies three ideals: (a) “To provide the general public with information they need to be free and self-governing in a democratic society”; (b) “To vigorously champion a return to fundamental principles of federalism, believing that it is the arrangement that can best advance the multifarious interests of citizens in a country of many nations and faiths such as Nigeria”;

and (c) “To serve as an independent monitor of power and hold those entrusted with its exercise accountable”. Its cardinal principles are freedom, justice and market economy (Vintage Press Limited, 2018).

Stage Two: Selecting newspaper editions

The second stage of the sampling involved choosing particular editions of the four newspaper titles to study. Here, the researcher’s aim was to ensure that everyday of the week (excluding Saturday and Sunday) was duly represented. The weekend editions were excluded being that their content and style are more in the nature of magazine than newspaper. In other words, they don’t usually represent the typical newspaper tradition in terms of content and style (Bellhouse, 2005). In ensuring that all days of the week were evenly represented, the researcher was guided by the recommendation by Basden and Wright (1997) that selection of editions should occur in a regular interval that would ensure that successive days are chosen every other week.

Thus, the researcher began by picking the first day that occurred within the first week of the study – Friday, May 29, 2015. Then, moving to the second week, he chose Monday edition (June

95 1), the third week, the Tuesday edition (June 9), the fourth week, Wednesday June 17 and so on.

This process continued up to the last week of May 2017 where the Tuesday edition (May 23) was selected. On the whole, 108 editions for each of the four newspapers and 432 editions for the entire four become the sample (see Appendix VI).

For the Key Informant Interviews, respondents were chosen because of their training, experience and position which make them “informed” and “reliable” sources for the particular information sought (Kumar, 1989). Hence, the researcher selected two key informants from each of the four newspapers studied as follows:

i. Title Editor: An editor of a title (Daily, Saturday or Sunday) occupies an important place as the final person in the gatekeeping line. The editor determines and takes responsibility for the entire content of the paper; this is evident in the fact that he/she signs the paper at the end. So, an editor occupies such a significant position and is ideally well experienced to act as a key informant in a study of this nature. In selecting a title editor from each of the four newspapers, the researcher’s preference was the editor of the daily title.

However, where they could not be accessed or declined to give interview, he went for editors of any of the other titles as happened with The Nation and Daily Trust whose editors of the Sunday title were selected. Hence, Onuoha Ukeh (Editor, Daily Sun), Eze Anaba (Editor, Vanguard), Theophilus Abba (Editor, Sunday Trust), and Chris Egburonu (Editor, The Nation On Sunday).

ii. A Reporter: A reporter is the first person in the gatekeeping line whose position is so vital because he/she is the one that must open the door for any material to get into the gatekeeping channel before it can face the scrutiny of other gatekeepers and either survives or is spiked. A reporter who had at least 10 years experience on the job and had

96 covered diverse bits in the course of his/her career was considered suitable for this study.

Hence, Aloysius Attah (Senior Reporter/Onitsha Correspondent, The Sun), Emmanuel Aziken (Political Editor/most senior political reporter, Vanguard), Sina Fadire (Head, Investigation Desk, The Nation) and Tony Adibe (South-East Bureau Chief, Daily Trust) were selected.

Hence, the above selections ensured that the two most critical points in the gatekeeping line were represented – the entry point (reporter) and the exit point (editor). Ultimately, four title editors and four reporters – making a total of eight key informants – were selected across the four newspapers studied.

Table 3.1.

Title Editors and Reporters Selected for Interview TITLE EDITORS

S/N Name Designation

1. Onuoha Ukeh Editor, Daily Sun

2. Eze Anaba Editor, Vanguard

3. Chris Egburonu Editor, The Nation (Sunday) 4. Theophilus Abba Editor, Sunday Trust

REPORTERS 1. Aloysius Attah Reporter, The Sun

2. Emmanuel Aziken Political Editor (most senior political reporter), Vanguard 3. Sina Fadire Head, Investigation Desk, The Nation

4. Tony Adibe South-East Bureau Chief, Daily Trust

97 3.5. Units of Analysis

The units of analysis were news, features, editorials, pictorials and cartoons. This means that all news stories, feature reports, editorials, pictures and cartoons related to ethnic interest groups became the focus of data collection and subsequent analysis.

i. News: News reports are the primary content of a newspaper. They are understood to be factual and objective accounts of events (Eyiuche, 2003). However, the process of news selection, writing and framing is amenable to ideological influences as the newspaper’s editorial policy, economic interest and political and cultural environment among others exert their influence (Eyiuche, 2003; Hall, 1997c). Hence, words, direct quotes, perspectives and frames embodied by news do reflect the gatekeeping choices of the media (Hall, 1997c; Lynch & McGoldrick, 2005; Machin, & Mayr, 2012).

ii. Features: Features are extended reports with in-depth analytical treatment. Unlike news, features present clear perspectives (interpretations) to issues; hence, they offer a deeper insight into a newspaper’s view on issues (Eyiuche, 2003; Daramola, 2003).

iii. Editorials: Editorials embody an authoritative position of a newspaper on an issue. It is a completely opinionated piece reflecting the official position of a newspaper on any matter (Eyiuche, 2003). Hence, it is the most reliable indicator of a newspaper’s perspective (Machin, & Mayr, 2012).

iv. Pictorials: Pictorials are news pictures. Its content (image and composition) and accompanying elements like cutline and written reports, when interpreted together, do offer insight into not just the denotative but also the connotative meaning (Hall, 1997c;

Machin, & Mayr, 2012).

98 v. Cartoons: They are sketched images that convey message usually humorously and sometimes also sarcastically (Eyiuche, 2003). In political communication, cartoons are considered quite significant due to their ability to compress large amounts of messages as well as subtly convey strong messages (Machin, & Mayr, 2012). Cartoons are opinionated (Eyiuche, 2003).