Trends in Mass Media Coverage of Crime and Violence in Nigeria

The study is a spotlight of Nigeria’s socio-political economy, which looked deeply at the landscape that has been blighted by the endemic twin evil of crime and violence, with tragic and alarming proportions. The study states that the current spate of crime and violence in Nigeria dates back to the end of the Nigerian Civil War around 1970 when arms began to filter through into unauthorized hands. Apart from the widespread availability of untracked arms, as well as crime and violence in the media, the study identified other possible causes of crime and violence to include non-compulsory Universal Basic Education, widespread of poverty, lack of social security for the aged and the unemployed, child abuse, and incidents of violence in neighbourhoods and communities. The study conceptualized Mass media, Coverage, Crime and Violence. The study utilized Framing Theory and the Social Responsibility Media Theory. Being a theoretical paper, the study analysed contextual works done by scholars in the area under study. Information was gotten from the internet, journals and book materials. The study concludes that what is happening to security challenges in Nigeria today with the advent of Social Media is analogous to the mass media being used to combat security threats and also, to perpetrate crimes. Unfortunately, just as the illustration in this study shown, all efforts made so far in Nigeria to bring the situation under control are hardly achievable. Since Mass Media have come to stay because of their numerous benefits and also with the arrival of technology, the study suggests that in reporting crime and violence as a public-health issue or epidemic, the principle of giving a public-health twist to crime and violence reporting should be incorporated into stories, the size of the organization notwithstanding. Short briefs should be eliminated and there is need to have a violence reporter who is trained in computer-assisted reporting. The report for every violence incident should include risk factors, such as the type of weapon, and relationship of victim to perpetrator