PRINT MEDIA AS A TOOL FOR POLITICAL PROPAGANDA AND IDEOLOGY, A CASE STUDY OF TRIBUNE NEWSPAPER COVERAGE OF 2015 GENERAL ELECTION IN NIGERIA

ABSTRACT

Media in our society today has been deployed as a possible means of transmitting political messages and ideology, focusing on print which impact and relevance outshone other media form. However, this research work aims at finding out how printed material (Newspaper) fared in coverage, reportage and affiliation when it comes to political affairs and how political constructions translate into the concept of media phases focusing the 2015 general election in Nigeria. However, similar review of literature concerning the working title was outlined in establishing opinions on how the print media platform was exploited by political personnel’s in portraying their ideology. Examining the Nigerian Tribune Newspaper, the study employed the use of content analytical approach in subjection of selected Tribune papers to thorough evaluation and segregation. However, the research findings shows different patterns of coverage and affiliations as the placement of stories on front pages of the newspaper recorded 64.2% of politics/policy new stories while the inner pages also recorded almost average percentage of 42.4 of political stories, also, the data on campaign coverage of the paper understudy witnessed 82.7% affiliations with PDP, with APC 13.5%, however, the party APC also witnessed 81.5% of criticism and castigation stories while PDP recorded the least of 16.3%. with this generated data, it is obvious that high campaign coverage and affiliations was given to the ruling party PDP/candidate while the opponent party APC/Candidate were castigated in all ramification, also,the paper understudy reportage and coverage of other parties/candidates was extremely low or no coverage at all, establishing the usage and influence of the print enterprise (Tribune) when it comes to political transmission in elevation and castigation of political parties. The study later suggests that the media should uphold objectivity and adhere to the ethics guiding journalism by providing a fair and balanced political reportage.