Radio reporting in Nigeria: framing the IPOB-federal government conflict

One of the advantages of radio as a medium of information dissemination is the idea that the sender can reach many receivers at the same, however the impersonal mode which limits contact poses a challenge for ambiguity and heightened misunderstanding. The media embodies the mouthpiece of the people and as the fourth estate in the realm amplifies its position to hold power to account and represent the marginalized. Realization of self-consciousness and ‘self-existent’ inform part of the underlying reasons for the IPOB (Indigenous People of Biafra) agitation. These are necessary elements to engender the development of the South East region and the Nigeria society at large. This research takes representation theory as a point of departure, to analyse the reporting of a conflict by radio, using framing and categorisation tools of analysis. Within a framework of the theory of a politics of media representation, this study more specifically analyses specific broadcasts transmitted on Solid 100.9FM. These programs reported on the IPOB-Federal Government conflict in Nigeria, and their content is used to find frames and categories used. The underlying purpose is to better understand factors influencing how the conflict between the federal Government and IPOB is reported in the media.