READERS’ PERCEPTION OF NEWSPAPER REPORTS ON NIGERIAN MIGRANTS IN LIBYA

Abstract

Previous studies had looked at the economic impact of migration, migrants’ use of social services, multiculturalism or ethno racial considerations, migrants as security threats, and representations of migrants in the media but how the audience perceive these media representations could influence public opinion of people about the migrants. This work therefore interrogates the Readers perception of Newspaper reports on Nigerian Migrants in Libya. The study adopted the survey design to study the federal civil servants in the South East and South-South zones of Nigeria. The study found that more than half of the stories were perceived by the audience to be non-sensational. Several others were also found to be either negatively reported against the migrants or negatively reported against the government but majority of the migrant stories was perceived to be unfavourably reported by the Nigerian newspapers. The stories were relatively scarce and majority of the audience were uncomfortable with the way the Nigerian newspapers represented the migrants on the newspapers. Also, they predominantly perceived condition of the migrants is repatriation or deportation from Libya. The study concludes that the audience of the migrant stories in Nigerian Newspapers have multiplicity of other media channels through which they obtain such kinds of information apart from the newspapers. The study recommends that the Nigerian government may consider providing good living conditions for the youth as part of measures of curtailing their migration to Libya in search of greener pastures; the relevant government agencies and Nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) may organise some sensitization and enlightenment programs targeted at counselling Nigerians on the dangers of irregular migration and the Nigerian newspapers should be encouraged to always give adequate coverage to issues of national interest especially migration