PRESS REPORTAGE OF SOCIO-ECONOMIC EFFECT OF ELECTRICITY TARIFF HIKES ON CONSUMERS IN KWARA STATES
Abstract
ABSTRACT
The current study probed into how a few members of Nigerian media houses reported the socio-economic effects of the recent price hike of electricity to consumers living in Kwara State The issue under consideration was based on the concerns that the manner in which the media framed tariff legislation could shape the popular opinion and thus affected civic reactions. The key aims included understanding the rate of reportage, questioning the quality and eminence of coverage, and calculating the amount of space devoted to covering tariff-related stories, and the tonal disposition of the stories.The study took a purposive sample of 109 issues of newspapers (The Punch, The Nation, and Daily Trust) based on a content-analysis paradigm, between the months of June and December 2024. Data collection was done in a structured manner through a pre-established coding sheet that was used as the primary measure of evaluation. Findings showed that The Punch was the publication that showed the highest reportage frequency. The coverage was mostly in the form of straight news items, mostly on the inner pages of the newspapers, and assigned limited space. The tonal sensibility of the stories was largely negative, suggesting the suffering of consumers, financial load, and general dissatisfaction of people.
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