CONTENT ANALYSIS OF THE PUNCH AND SUN NEWSPAPERS REPORTAGE OF CRIME
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CONTENT ANALYSIS OF THE PUNCH AND SUN NEWSPAPERS REPORTAGE OF CRIME
Chapter one
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study
Crime is one of the human security issues that humanity faces around the world. Nations have struggled to control the escalating rates of homicide, armed robbery, and kidnapping, as well as drug and sex trafficking, illicit gun running, and a variety of other crimes.
In 2011, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime estimated that 468,000 homicides had occurred worldwide, with Africa accounting for 36%, the Americas for 31%, Asia for 27%, Europe for 5%, and the tropical Pacific region for 1%.
The research identifies economic instability, food hunger, inflation, and weak or limited rule of law as factors driving crime. However, the causative variables described above are not the only ones that contribute to crime.
In the Americas, more than 25% of killings are linked to “organised crime and the activities of criminal gangs,” although this is only true for about 5% of homicides in Asian and European countries with available data.
Africa has been in the forefront of global crime statistics (Osawe, 2008). In recent years, South Africa and Nigeria have experienced a surge in both violent and nonviolent crime.
According to Africa Check, the number of murders in South Africa climbed from 15 609 in 2011/12 to 16 259 in 2012/13, representing a 650 murder case rise or a 4.2% increase when compared to the previous year5.
According to the same research, killings and attempted murders occur during aggravated robbery, inter-group conflict (such as gang or taxi violence), and vigilantism, accounting for 35% to 45% of all murders and attempted murders6.
Nigeria is currently entangled in a crime web, resulting in a convulsive increase in both violent and nonviolent crimes7. Notable in this regard are the increasing cases of armed robbery, assassination, and ransom-driven kidnapping, which are devastating the country like a tsunami and instilling dread and anxiety about public safety8.
Since the 1980s, Nigeria has been on the worldwide crime map, and the increase in crime has continued. Poverty, bad parental upbringing, and greed among kids, as well as a get-rich-quick mentality and an insufficient crime control model of national security, have all contributed to decades of crime.
The events of the last few years have demonstrated that the crime wave has reached devastating proportions, necessitating the participation of policymakers.
According to Osawe (2008), crime reflects the government’s inability to provide a secure and safe environment for people, property, and the conduct of economic activities, given Nigeria’s worrisome surge in criminal activities such as armed robbery, terrorism, and other associated crimes10.
According to Olanrewaju (2011), crime stems from drug usage, which has societal consequences for students in the form of assassination, kidnapping, loss of interest in study, armed robbery, and other criminal offenses11.
The availability of weaponry in the hands of illicit users, particularly civilians, has been identified as a motivator for criminal behaviour. For example, Hull et al. (2001) argue that the proliferation of arms contributes to conflict in two ways: “increasingly lethal firepower is likely to cause higher levels of destruction; and that augmentation of sophisticated weaponry creates a vicious cycle in which competing militias engage in an arms race to gain dominance in capability.”
According to Nigeria Watch Database’s Third Report on Violence in Nigeria (2006–2011), criminality is the second leading cause of violence. This is largely prevalent in the South, particularly in densely populated places such as Lagos and Port Harcourt.
However, the Middle Belt is not immune to armed robbery and banditry, particularly in Plateau State, which has higher crime rates13. These statistics on the trends and patterns of violent and nonviolent crimes are concerning and require immediate attention from stakeholders participating in the anti-crime campaign through a multidimensional strategy.
Crime is a social phenomena that affects all aspects of human life. Nigeria has consequently been referred to as one of the world’s most crime-prone countries due to its low social security level and criminally motivated societal activities.
According to Toppan (2004), a crime is defined as a “internal violation of the criminal law that is committed without defence or excuse and punishable by a state felony or misdemeanour through judicial proceeding.” Toppan views crime from a legal perspective.
Societies define crime as a set of norms for which some ruling authority or force may eventually impose punishment. According to Wikipedia/encyclopedia, crime is defined as deviant activity that breaches established norms, societal standards that dictate how humans should behave normally.
The approach examines the complex realities surrounding the concept of crime and seeks to understand how the interplay of social, political, psychological, and economic conditions affects the current definition or meaning of crime when it leads to legal, law enforcement, or penal responses by society or social institutions.
Nigeria is clearly experiencing a rise in crime rates. In a single edition of our daily newspaper, television program, or radio report, many criminal acts emerging from urban areas are documented.
This is owing to the emphasis on urbanisation and modernisation of cities and towns at the expense of rural areas, resulting in rural-urban migration (Dambazau, 2007).
This union result has resulted in an increase in crime on both sides as a result of over-investment in infrastructure or under-utilization of infrastructure by capable youngsters. This, in turn, causes economic depreciation, poverty, unemployment, and a rise in the potential for or occurrence of crime.
Nonetheless, newspapers, like other media, are primarily disseminators of information, which might take the shape of formal opinions, editorials, feature reports, and so on.
This broadcast of knowledge is about mankind’s actions, whether personal, social, political, economic, criminal, sporting, or recreational, with the goal of informing, educating, entertaining, or enlightening.
Nababa Sanda Gusan’s book “The Mass Media in Nigeria” categorises newspapers into six types. These classifications are based on the time they are put to bed. We have daily, bi-weekly, four-nightly, monthly, and quarterly.
The most usually encountered newspaper is the daily, which is available at the newsstand every day. The bi-weekly is produced twice a week, the weekly once a week, and the fortnightly is published every two weeks.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
Throughout the years, Nigerian newspapers have reported on crimes. Despite the fact that the Punch and Sun newspapers report on crimes, crime rates in Nigeria continue to rise.
Therefore, the purpose of this study is to examine crime reporting in Nigeria and its effectiveness in reducing crime. The mass media is a channel for knowledge and education in our society.
This study examined how the two selected newspapers, Punch and Sun, fulfil the functions of the press in society and how much coverage is given to crime reporting.
Crime reportage from February 2016 to January 2017 was examined to determine the extent to which these publications contributed to the establishment and facilitation of the efforts of the Nigerian military and police forces in combatting crime in Nigeria.
1.3 Objectives of the Study
i. How the newspaper has reported crime.
ii. Identify the tone of reportage.
iii. To determine the story.
iv. Examine the reportage.
1.4 Research Questions.
i. To what extent has crime dropped in Nigeria?
ii. What are the underlying causes of crime in Nigeria?
iii. Are the Punch and Sun newspapers effective at reporting crime in Nigeria?
iv. What are the challenges that the Punch and Sun newspapers face in crime reporting?
1.5 Significance of the Study
The study would be extremely essential for both the Nigerian media and the general public, who are, of course, media consumers. To that purpose, the findings of this study will disclose if the Punch and Sun newspapers have performed as expected in terms of crime reporting. This project work will also be used as reference material for other students in similar fields of study.
1.6 Scope of the Study
The study focusses on crime reporting in Nigeria’s Punch and Sun newspapers between February 2016 and January 2017.
1.7 Limitations of the Study
The researcher encountered several obstacles when doing his investigation. However.
There was an issue with the regular flow of funds in order to reach the deadline for submitting this research effort.
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