EVALUATION OF NEWSPAPER FRAMING AND PUBLIC PERCEPTION OF NIGERIA'S SEVENTH NATIONAL ASSEMBLY (2011-2014)

This study evaluates newspaper framing and public perception of Nigeria’s seventh National Assembly (2011-2014). This inquiry is informed by the fact that literature is lacking on textual analysis of newspaper coverage of the Nigerian National Assembly and the extent to which newspaper coverage shape public perception. The thesis employs mixed-methods of qualitative content analysis and survey. Its target population is in two folds - all Nigerian dailies and the educated civil servants. The researcher purposively samples five dailies and 592 respondents. Findings show that newspapers adopt a different pattern of frames like morality, attribution of responsibility, consequence, conflict/human interest and conspiracy frames in covering Nigeria’s seventh National Assembly. In addition, most respondents (45%) perceive Nigeria’s seventh National Assembly negatively as a corrupt, unpatriotic and irresponsible legislature. Most respondents (39%) disagree that the way newspapers frame stories influence their perception of Nigeria’s seventh National Assembly. The study concludes that news framing minimally shapes the way people perceive the Nigerian National Assembly. Based on strength of the findings, the study recommends among other things that the National Assembly should be more committed and responsible for restoring or building confidence in the public whose positive perception of National Assembly is eroded. The study also recommends the need for the news writers to be more critical with their reports so as to be able to significantly influence the way the public perceive the legislature