PUBLIC PERCEPTIONS OF COMMUNITY RADIO STATIONS’ REPORTAGE OF STIGMATISATION OF ABDUCTEES OF BOKO HARAM

Abstract: The study examined public perception of community radio’s reportage of female abductees of Boko Haram in North-East Nigeria. A survey design was adopted to achieve the study aim. A total of 400 respondents were selected via a multi-stage sampling technique with the questionnaire and interview guide as the instruments for data collection. Findings indicated that most (60%) of the respondents reported that community radios do not report issues on the stigmatization of abductees of Boko Haram frequently. The result also showed that community radio embark on campaigns by airing programmes that discourage the populace from discriminating against abductees of Boko Haram after their release from captivity. The communication strategies journalists use to integrate former abductees into the larger society were found to include: straight news, discussion programmes among others. The implication of these findings on policy advocacy was also discussed. The researchers recommend, among others, that further studies should be expanded to include the influence of community radio on the attitude of residents towards girls abducted by Boko Haram.

Keywords: Boko Haram, abductees, community radio and stigmatization

Published: November 2017

Issue: Vol 1 (2) 2017: PLASU JOURNAL OF COMMUNICATION STUDIES