Evaluation of Newspaper Reading Habits of Youths in Anambra State, Nigeria

This article examines newspaper reading habits of youths in Anambra State, Nigeria.  The study aims at ascertaining the newspapers that youths in Anambra State read most, the frequency of their readership of newspapers, the type of stories they mostly read and the ways through which they obtain the newspapers they read.  The study uses quantitative research technique.  It adopts a sample size of 300 youths, purposively drawn from Awka, Onitsha and Nnewi.  The survey is anchored on the Uses and Gratification theory of the mass media.  The paper employs the simple percentage method and frequency tables as analytical tools.  Findings of the study show that youths in Anambra State read newspapers a lot and that The Sun, The Guardian, Complete Sports and The Vanguard are the newspapers they mostly read.  Findings also reveal that sports, political and economic news are the major stories the youths read and that they obtain the newspapers  they read mainly by going to newspaper stands (to read without paying) browsing newspapers with their cell phones, borrowing from friends and neighbours and by visiting the public library.  The paper concludes that most youths in Anambra State do not buy newspapers they read and recommends massive empowerment of youths by the government through provision of employment and other poverty alleviation strategies to enable them buy newspapers. Key words: Newspaper, Reading, Habits, Evaluation, Youths, Anambra Stat

Public and Private Media Reportage of Free and Fair Elections: Views of Media Audience in Anambra State, Nigeria.

Free and fair election is a cherished feature, a universally acceptable and an intrinsically inseparable characteristic of democracy. Reporting election in unbiased, truthful and factual terms is an important role of the press globally. However, at present, in most African countries that have embraced democracy, such as Nigeria, this feature has not been attained. This comparative study of government and private owned media reportage of election in Nigeria aimed at ascertaining the section of the media that pay more attention to issues of free and fair polls. The survey utilised questionnaire to collect data from 300 media audiences in triangulation with interview of select media professionals in Anambra State. It adopted purposive sampling procedure. The paper was anchored on the Social Responsibility and the Agenda-setting theories of mass communication. The study used the percentage method in data analysis. Findings of the study show, among others that privately owned media report free and fair elections, no matter who it favours while government owned media rarely report such issues except where such report favours the government. Based on the findings, the paper recommended that the media owned by government should be more proactive in reporting electoral fairness at all times. Keywords: Free, Fair, Elections, Nigeria, Reporting, Media, Government, Private, Audience and Views