ANALYSIS OF BROADCAST MEDIA COVERAGE OF CRIME IN NIGERIA AND PERCEPTION OF YOUTH IN BENIN CITY

ABSTRACT

This study examined analysis of broadcast media coverage of crime in Nigeria and it studied the perception of youth in Benin City on the coverage of Edo Broadcasting service (EBS) and Independent Television and Radio (ITV). The study is guided by four objectives which are: to examine the coverage of crime by Edo Broadcasting Service (EBS) and Independent Television and Radio (ITV), Benin City, to examine the extent to which EBS and ITV cover crime issues in Benin City, to find out the exposure of youth to EBS and ITV coverage of crime issues in Benin City, to examine the perception of youth in Benin City on the coverage of crime by EBS and ITV. The study adopted survey research design with 200 youth randomly selected in Benin City to form the sample size. The study made use of questionnaire as research instrument to elicit information from the selected respondents. The data gathered was analyzed using simple percentage and tables. From the Findings, 40% of the respondents agreed that the coverage of crime by Edo state broadcasting Service (EBS) and Independent Television and Radio (ITV) is high 40% and 45% respectively. On the extent to which EBS and ITV cover crime issues in Benin City, 73% of respondents perceive EBS and ITV crime coverage to be frequent. The study also shows that nearly half (48%) of the respondents consume EBS contents, while 38% consume ITV contents. The study also revealed that, vast majority 88% of respondents believe the coverage EBS and ITV affect their perception of safety. The study recommends that media houses like EBS and ITV should strive for a balance approach in the crime reporting; media outlet should enhance their crime reportage with investigative journalism that goes beyond mere reporting; both EBS and ITV should actively involve youth through interactive programmes that discuss crime and security issues; regular training on crime reporting should be provided to equip journalist with the skills to deliver factual, unbiased and comprehensive news stories while minimizing the potential for sensationalism.