Implications of Nigerian Newspapers’ Framing of Police Brutality on Peace and National Security
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32350/mcr.61.08Keywords:
police brutality, peace, national security, Nigerian newspaper, newspapers framingAbstract
The incessant occurrence of police brutality in Nigeria has raised concern among the citizenry. This is because the menace has claimed lives of innocent Nigerians. The media, especially the newspaper has been playing critical role in keeping people abreast of this menace. Scholars have investigated police brutality and newspapers coverage. However, there is a dearth of study on national security, newspapers framing and police brutality. Hence, this study examines the implications of newspapers framing of police brutality on national security. The study is underpinned by framing theory. Mixed method research of quantitative and qualitative content analysis were employed to examine all the editions of The Punch and Daily Trust newspapers published in Nigeria between January 1 and June 30, 2025. Purposive sampling technique was used to select 25 editions of the newspaper as the sample size. Coding sheet served as the instrument. Descriptive statistics and thematic analyses were used to analyse data while tables and texts were used to present the findings. The findings revealed that newspapers framing of police brutality in Nigeria strengthen the social responsibility role of the mass media towards peace and national security as the framing align with peace-oriented journalism, thereby, improving national security through humanisation of the victims and proactive approach to the incidents. The study, therefore, concluded that the Nigerian mass media, especially, the newspaper is pivotal in strengthening peace and national security by adopting peace-oriented approach in framing conflict-related issues. The study recommended among others, that the Nigerian media should use victim-centric approach with proactive coverage of reforms, peacebuilding initiatives, and systemic solutions through the adoption of Galtung’s peace journalism framework in order to promote peace and national security
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