THREE NEWSPAPERS’ COVERAGE OF INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN IN NIGERIA, 2015-2017

doi:10.36782/jcs.v11i1.2057

THREE NEWSPAPERS’ COVERAGE OF INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN IN NIGERIA, 2015-2017

Aje-Ori Agbese

Abstract

This article explores how three national newspapers cover the cases of intimate partner violence against women (IPVAW) in Nigeria from 2015 to 2017 to contribute to global research on mediated representations of violence against women. The study focuses on how Nigerian newspapers, The Guardian, Punch and Vanguard, reported the IPVAW cases from 2015 to 2017, and how they covered and framed IPVAW. Using quantitative content analysis, we found that the newspapers used episodic framing, blamed the victims, and exonerated/ excused the men’s actions. The implications of these findings are discussed.

To cite this article (7^th APA style):

Agbese, A. O. (2021). Three Newspapers’ Coverage of Intimate Partner Violence against Women in Nigeria, 2015-2017. Journal Communication Spectrum: Capturing New Perspectives in Communication, 11(1), 12-25. http://dx.doi.org/10.36782/jcs.v1i1.2057

References

Abayomi, A. A, & Olabode, K. T. (2013). Domestic violence and death: Women as endangered gender in Nigeria. American Journal of Sociological Research, 3 (3), 53-60.

Adika, V. O., Agada, J.J., Bodise-Ere, K. & Ojokojo, M. E. Y. (2013). Men’s attitude and knowledge towards gender-based violence against women in Yenegoa, Bayelsa state. Journal of Research in Nursing and Midwifery, 2(6),77-83.

AfrolNews. (ND). Half of Nigeria’s women experience domestic violence. Retrieved from http://www.afrol.com/articles/16471

Akenzua, N. (2016, March 12). Man kills girlfriend in hotel over alleged gonorrhea infection. Punch. Retrieved from https://punchng.com/man-kills-girlfriend-hotel-alleged-gonorrhea-infection/

Akubo, J. (2017, June 8). Man stabs wife to death over N4,000 house-keep allowance. The Guardian. Retrieved from https://guardian.ng/news/man-stabs-wife-to-death-over-n4000-house-keep-allowance/

Alat, Z. (2006). News coverage of violence against women: The Turkish case. Feminist Media Studies, 6 (3), 295-314.

Amobi, F. (2016, May 14). Man kills wife in lover’s defense. Punch. https://punchng.com/man-kills-wife-lovers-defence/

Angye, C. (2004). Baseline survey on the prevalence of domestic violence in the Walimayo ward of Makurdi Local Government Area and Mbawa ward of Guma Local Government Area of Benue state. Research conducted by Access to Justice in Nigeria in conjunction with Centre for Gender Studies. Benue State University, Makurdi, Nigeria.

Animasaun, D. (2016, May 22). ‘Let’s say no! No to domestic. Vanguard. Retrieved from https://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/05/lets-say-no-no-domestic-violence/

Benebo, F. O., Schumann, B., & Vaezghasemi, M. (2018). Intimate partner violence against women in Nigeria: A multilevel study investigating the effect of women’s status and community norms. BMC: Women’s Health, 18 (136), 2-17. https://doi.org10.1186/s12905-018-0628-7

Brisibe, S., Ordinioha, B., & Dienye, P. O. (2012). Intersection between alcohol abuse and intimate partner's violence in a rural Ijaw community in Bayelsa State, South-South Nigeria. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 27, 513-22. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260511421676

Brüggemann, M. (2014) Between frame setting and frame sending: How journalists contribute to news frames. Communication Theory, 24(1). 61–82. https://doi.org/10.1111/comt.12027

Bullock C. F. (2007). Framing domestic violence fatalities: Coverage by Utah newspapers, Women's Studies in Communication, 30 (1), 34-63. https://doi.org/10.1080/07491409.2007.10162504

Bullock, C., & Cubert, J. (2002). Coverage of domestic violence fatalities by newspapers in Washington State. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 17, 475-499. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0886260502017005001

Carlyle, K.E., Slater, M. D., & Chakroff, J. L. (2008). Newspaper coverage of intimate partner violence: Skewing representations of risk. Journal of Communication, 58, 168–86. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1460-2466.2007.00379.x

Chermak, S. (1995). Victims in the news: Crime and the American news media. Boulder, CO: Westview Press.

Chukwu, C. C., Scent, G.A., Emeka, J. O., Obi, C.U. & Kalu, E.O. (2014). Violence against women in Igboland, south-east Nigeria: A critical quest for change. International Journal of Sociology and Anthropology, 6 (2), 49-58. https://doi.org/10.5897/IJSA12.017

D’Argemir, D. C. (2015). News of partner femicides: The shift from private issue to public problem. European Journal of Communication, 30 (2), 121-136. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0267323114544865

Dauda, B. (2015). Mass media messages and domestic violence in Nigeria. African Journal for The Psychological Study of Social Issues, 18(1), 122-141.

Duru, C. B., Aguocha, C.M., Iwu, A, C., Oluoha, U.R., Diwe, K. C.,

Okedo-Alex, I. N., Ndukwu, E. N., & Nwaigbo, E. (2018). Domestic violence among women in households in Imo state, Nigeria: Prevalence, pattern and determinants. Asian Journal of Social Science Studies, 3 (1), 15-31. https://doi.org/10.20849/ajsss.v3i1.323

Entman, R. M. (1993). Framing: Toward clarification of a fractured paradigm. Journal of Communication, 43 (4), 51-58. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1460-2466.1993.tb01304.x

Entman, R. M., Matthes, J., & Pellicano, L. (2009). Nature, sources and effects of news framing. In K. Wahl-Jorgensen & T. Hanitzsch (Eds.), The handbook of journalism studies (pp. 175-190). New York: Routledge.

Gamson, W. A., & Modigliani, A. (1987). The changing culture of affirmative action. In R. G. Braugnart & M. M. Braugnart (Eds.), Research in political sociology (Vol. 3, pp. 137 – 177). Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.

Folarin, S., & Hanafi, A. (2017, August 22). Man kills wife in Benue, woman kills husband in Lagos. Punch. http://punchng.com/infidelity-man-kills-wife-in-benue-woman-kills-husband-in-lagos/

Folarin, S. (2017, January 19). Naval rating allegedly beats wife to death in Lagos. Punch. Retrieved from https://punchng.com/naval-rating-allegedly-beats-wife-death-lagos/

Gillespie, L. K., Richards, T. N., Givens, E. M., & Smith, M. D. (2013). Framing deadly domestic violence: Why the media’s spin matters in newspaper coverage of femicide. Violence Against Women, 19 (2), 22-245. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F1077801213476457

Gross, K. (2008). Framing persuasive appeals: Episodic and thematic framing, emotional response and policy opinion. Political Psychology, 29(2), 169 – 192.

https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9221.2008.00622.x

Halim, S., & Meyers, M. (2010). News coverage of violence against Muslim women: A view from the Arabian Gulf. Communication, Culture & Critique, 3, 85-104. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1753-9137.2009.01059.x

Hanafi, A. (2016, September 30). Man batters wife over missing N2,000. Punch. Retrieved from https://punchng.com/man-batters-wife-missing-n2000/

Hanafi, A., & Olugbemi, A. (2016, August 22). Man kills spouse, pastor’s wife, daughter in Sokoto. Punch. Retrieved from https://punchng.com/man-kills-spouse-pastors-wife-daughter-sokoto/

Isaacs, D. H. (2016). Social representations of intimate partner violence in the South African media. South African Journal of Psychology, 46(4), 491–503. https:// 10.1177/0081246316628815

Iyengar, S. (1991). Is anyone responsible? How television frames political issues. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Kimani, R., & Yeboah, A. (2011). Beyond unequal visibilities: Are women treated differently from men in the news? African Communication Research, 4(3), 433-448.

LaFraniere, S. (2005). Entrenched epidemic: Wife-beatings in Africa. The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/11/world/africa/entrenched-epidemic-wifebeatings-in-africa.html

Madubuike-Ekwe, N. J., & Obayemi, O. K. (2019). Assessment of the role of the Nigerian Police Force in the promotion and protection of human rights in Nigeria. Annual Survey of International & Comparative Law, 23(1), 19-48.

Maxwell, K. A., Huxford, J., Borum, C., & Hornik, R. (2000). Covering domestic violence: How the O.J. Simpson case shaped reporting of domestic violence in the news media. Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 77(2), 258-272. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F107769900007700203

Meyers, M. (1997). News coverage of violence against women: Engendering blame. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

NAN. (March 31, 2017). Soldier in court for allegedly killing lover over phone call. The Guardian. Retrieved from https://guardian.ng/news/soldier-in-court-for-allegedly-killing-lover-over-phone-call/

Nduru, G. T. & Dedees, A. R. (2020). Domestic Violence during Covid-19 Pandemic: Study on Magdelene.co Articles. Journal Communication Spectrum: Capturing New Perspectives in Communication, 10(2), xx-xx. http://dx.doi.org/10.36782/jcs.v10i2.2100

Nkwopara, C. (2015, Nov. 4). Man kills girlfriend for rejecting marriage proposal in Imo. Vanguard. Retrieved from https://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/11/man-kills-girlfriend-for-rejecting-marriage-proposal-in-imo/

Nkwopara, C. (2016, June 21). Man slaps wife dead over ₦100. Vanguard. Retrieved from https://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/06/man-slaps-wife-dead-over-n100/

Nwannekanma, B., & Salau, G. (2017, September 6). Lagos records 852 domestic violence cases in nine months. The Guardian. Retrieved from https://guardian.ng/news/lagos-records-852-domestic-violence-cases-in-nine-months/

Odita, S. (2017, August 10). Man beats wife to death, claims she lied of poison. The Guardian. Retrieved from https://guardian.ng/news/man-beats-wife-to-death-claims-she-died-of-poison/

Ojigho, O. J. (2009). Prohibiting domestic violence through legislation in Nigeria. Agenda, 23 (82), 86-93.

Okulate, G. T (2005). Interpersonal violence cases reported to the police: A Nigerian study. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 20 (12), 1598-1610. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0886260505280348

Okutu, P. (2016, February 23). Adultery: Man beats wife to death in Ebonyi. Vanguard. https://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/02/adultery-man-beats-wife-to-death-in-ebonyi/

Ola, T. M., & Ajayi, J. O. (2013). Values clarification in marital rape: A Nigerian situation. European Scientific Journal, 8 (35), 291 – 306. https://doi.org/10.19044/esj.2013.v9n35p%25p

Onyegbula, E. (2015, April 18). Save me before my police husband kills me, wife cries out. Vanguard. Retrieved from https://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/04/save-me-before-my-police-husband-kills-me-wife-cries-out/

Oseyemwen, E. D., Oseyemwen, N. K., James, B. O., Enabulele, O., Ajokpaniovo, J., Adewole, A. J., Atsikidi, L. A., & Eghareyba, O. E. (2019). Intimate partner violence among women attending a general practice clinic in Nigeria. New Nigerian Journal of Clinical Research, 8, 1-9. https://doi.org/10.4103/nnjcr.nnjcr_10_18

Ozor, C. (November 5, 2015). Man beats wife to death in Enugu, absconds. Vanguard. https://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/11/man-beats-wife-to-death-in-enugu-absconds/

Punch. (2017, January 25). Jealous lover kills cheating girlfriend, boyfriend with petrol bomb. Punch. Retrieved from https://punchng.com/jealous-lover-kills-cheating-girlfriend-boyfriend-with-petrol-bomb/

Punch. (2017, October 11). “I may not regain consciousness next time my husband beats me to stupor.” Punch. Retrieved from https://punchng.com/i-may-not-regain-consciousness-next-time-my-husband-beats-me-to-stupor/

Reason, M., & Garcia, B. (2007). Approaches to the newspaper archive: Content analysis and press coverage of Glasgow’s year of culture. Media, Culture & Society, 29(2), 304–331. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0163443707074261

Richards, T. N., Gillespie, L. K., & Smith, M., D. (2011). Exploring news coverage of femicide: Does reporting the news add insult to injury? Feminist Criminology, 6 (3), 178-202.

Rogers, E. M., & Dearing, J. W. (1988). Agenda-setting research: Where has it been, where is it going. Communication Yearbook, 11, 555-594.

Schudson, M. (1989). The sociology of news production. Media, Culture and Society, 11, 263-282. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F016344389011003002

Shija, M. T. (2004). ‘Domestic violence and its impact on women’s rights.’ Paper presented at a consultative Forum of stakeholders to discuss the Domestic Violence Draft Bill in Benue State – Nigeria.

Soola, E. O. (2007). Coverage of crime and violence in Nigerian media: Matters arising. Global Media Journal Africa, 1 (1), 1-13.

Steeves, L. (1997). Gender violence and the press: The St. Kizito story. Athens, OH: Ohio University Press.

Taylor, R. (2009). Slain and slandered: A content analysis of the portrayal of femicide in crime news. Homicide Studies, 13 (1), 21–49. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F1088767908326679

This Day. (2019, Oct. 3). Curbing growing domestic violence. Retrieved from https://www.thisdaylive.com/index.php/2019/10/03/curbing-growing-domestic-violence/

Tierney, K. (1982). The battered women movement and the creation of the wife beating problem. Social Problems, 29, 207-220.

Udobang, W. (2018). ‘We are brought up to think suffering this violence is OK’: Domestic abuse in Nigeria. The Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/working-in-development/2018/jan/05/violence-domestic-abuse-nigeria-bullying-husbands

Vanguard. (2016, October 28). Man beats wife to stupor over accusation of snoring. Vanguard. Retrieved from https://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/10/man-beats-wife-stupor-accusation-snoring/

Vanguard. (2017, July 6). Man impregnates housemaid, strangles pregnant wife. Vanguard. Retrieved from https://www.vanguardngr.com/2017/07/man-impregnates-housemaid-strangles-pregnant-wife/

WahalaTV. (2017). Mercy Aigbe domestic violence interview!!! Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOwbw_nB3zg

World Health Organization. (2019). Violence against women: Intimate partner and sexual violence against women. Retrieved from https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/329889/WHO-RHR-19.16-eng.pdf?ua=1

Yanovitzky, I. (2002). Effects of news coverage on policy attention and actions: A closer look into the media-policy connection. Communication Research, 29, 422–451.

Full Text: PDF English