Content Analysis Of Newspaper Coverage And Farmers’ Readership Of Agricultural News In Nigeria

ABSTRACT

Inadequate access to agricultural information contributes largely to low productivity among

farmers in Nigeria. The print media has been especially implicated on its low coverage and

provision of agricultural information, thus limiting readership among farmers. To validate this

observation, the extent of coverage of agricultural news in print media and farmer’s readership

were therefore assessed.

Content analyses of Nigerian Tribune, New Nigerian, This Day, The Punch and The Comet

newspapers as well as questionnaire survey methods were used for carrying out the study. Fett’s

seven categories of General news, Pricing and marketing, Government policy, Editorials,

Commentaries, Special recommendations and Human interest were used for content analysis. Six

hundred and ninety-three agricultural news columns in 960 newspaper editions published

between 1999 and 2003 were analysed.Katsina and Lagos states were purposively selected for

questionnaire survey. 50 percent of the blocks and cells in the states’ Agricultural Development

Projects (ADPs) were randomly selected and 50 percent of farmers’ groups in selected cells were

chosen for questionnaire administration resulting in 160 respondents. Personal characteristics

and readership of agricultural news were assessed. Data were analysed using descriptive

statistics, Chi-square and ANOVA at p=0.05.

80 percent of the farmers were male and 84% were married. Thirty-four percent were in the age

bracket of 41-50. Thirty-three percent had between 11 and 14years farming experience and were

predominantly crop and livestock farmers. Thirty–three percent of the respondents (33%)

purchased and read newspapers. Majority (86.9%) read all categories of agricultural news.

Agricultural news was generally not prominently placed in 69.3% of the newspapers. The few

prominently placed had 66.8% of them located at the center pages. Government policy category

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was the most published in the New Nigerian (34.0%), The Punch (33.7%) and This Day(24.4%) newspapers. Special recommendation category was the most published in The Nigerian Tribune newspaper (35%) while general news was the most published in The Comet (21.9%). Clarity of message ranked first in variables that influenced readership of agricultural news while the length of publication ranked least. The Comet had a significantly higher (287.1±2.1) mean number of agricultural news than the New Nigerian (150.0±4.3), The Punch (92.0 ±1.6), ThisDay (91.0±3.7) and Nigerian Tribune (74.1±6.5). ThisDay had a significantly higher (405.2 ±3.1) mean size of agricultural news than the Nigerian Tribune (224.2 ±3.5), The Punch (213.1±3.4),The Comet (184.6±3.7) and the New Nigerian (164.6±3.1). Government policy category also had a higher (23.2±2.1) mean than Human interest (17.5±1.9), Special recommendation and General news (16.7±3.9), Pricing and marketing (15.3±2.8), Commentaries (8.51±2.1) and Editorials (2.1±3.2). A significant relationship existed in readership of agricultural news and age χ2=57.9; number of children χ2=28.7, as well as religion χ2=0.357 but not with educational status. A relationship was also identified between the farmers’ readership of agricultural news and categories of agricultural news covered (χ2=.128.7).

Reportage and placement of agricultural news were generally poor with differences in number of agricultural news covered across the newspapers; most farmers read all categories of agricultural news published.

Keywords: Newspaper readership, Content analysis, Agricultural news and News coverage.