CHAPTER ONE

1.0       INTRODUCTION

1.1       BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY

A trend of violent conflicts spreading through Nigeria in recent years has intensified in the past months leaving hundreds of people dead and thousand displaced.

This research work therefore focuses on how the press should report such conflicts is inevitable in a plural society such as Nigerian with diverse socio-cultural identities, the potential of conflict is further heightened by inter-group suspicion and corrupt leadership at almost every strata of the society. Thus an otherwise simple incident such as a woman crossing through a congregational prayer as it happened in Jos in 1001 may precipitate a violent clash between potential opponents

It is clear that the Nigerian state is presently grapping with latent ethnic and regional at identifying the reportage of this conflict the extent of

Nigerian press education of the audience on conflicts, and how the Nigerian press has been able to proffer solutions to conflicts in the country.

In the last decade as a result of downtown in the nation’s economy, there has been a very high degree of human sufferings, anger, disillusionment, moral decay and high crime rate. Under this harsh living conditions he members of the society tends to be aggressive and violent prone this has result in conflicts like Aglumeri and Umemeri, Ife and

Modakeke, Ijaw-Itsekiri, the Kaduna sharia riot, the Kano religious crisis and the recent Jos crisis the Nigerian citizen often turns to violence as a

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result of the state insensitivity to their needs as the case in the Nigerian delta crisis.

The Nigerian press still faces the problem of press freedom in the dissemination of information to the heterogeneous Nigeria society. However, the Nigerian press must take extra caption in reporting conflict situation; media practitioners must watch their use of language in the event of reporting any conflict situations.

Conflict are an essential ingredient in the mass media, the press strives on existing imagined or evolving conflicts. Conflicts provide the substance for the drama, action, suspense and human interest upon which the loyalty of the audience is hinged. As a result of this the press must be effective in presenting model and correlating parts of the society needs to be vigilant to prevent reporting conflicts in away to avoid escalation of the conflicts. The press plays some role in the resolution on of disputes. Thus

Nigerian press should strive even harder to improve on its performance in this area. Equally as important as balance in the resolution of conflicts are constructiveness and responsibility in press coverage. While the newspapers and the news magazines did a splendid job of reporting Nigerian conflicts responsibility 90% of the time they were able to accord the same responsibility treatment to non-Nigerian conflict only 65% of the tune, and this means that they need it work harder to improve on the quality of their coverage of non-Nigerian conflict in this regard.

This very low level of constructiveness in this coverage of conflict events in west African sub-region also demands a concerned effort to improve upon this rather poor performance. This effect is a challenge to the

Nigerian press to realize and criticize the contending parties in an editorial or commending. It is also very important to be able to proffer well – informed

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and plausible suggestions to the resolution of the conflict coverage to

Nigerian conflict alone while the Nigerian newspaper and news magazines leave themselves open to their professional responsibility.

1.2       STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

The research work will concerned about evaluating the effect of Jos crisis in Nigeria and suggesting a possible solution. It will also aimed at revealing the problem confronted by the Nigerian mass media in reporting conflicts situation in Nigeria. A case study of Punch Newspaper would be our path to cover the crisis.

1.3       RESEARCH QUESTIONS

This research work intends to provide answers to the following questions.

1.   To what extent was the Nigerian press impartial in reporting the Jos crisis?

2.   To what extent did the press adequately educate the audience on the causes and other issues relating to the Jos crisis?

3.   What prominence was given to the Jos crisis by the Nigerian press?

4.   Has the punch newspaper help