Agenda- Setting Role of the Nigerian Press: A Case Study of the Ebola Virus Disease Outbreak in Nigeria

Abstract

There is a general acceptance of the profound role the press play in addressing critical social needs and in improving the lives of the people in any society. In modern climes, promoting public health and to a large extent preventing the spread of dangerous communicable health diseases have become an integral part of the press. This paper thus carried out an overview of the agenda-setting role of the Nigerian press on the Ebola Virus Disease outbreak in Nigeria. Content analysis research methodology was adopted by the study. Content of The Punch newspaper was analysed from May to October ie six months period. The findings of the study revealed among others that the Ebola Virus Disease was given significant coverage and that the issue received prominence in terms of story type, but not in the aspect of page placement. The paper recommends that newspaper editors must ensure that issues that have to do with the outbreak of deadly pandemic diseases should be given placement on the front pages of their paper.Also in same manner, journalists covering issues must begin to focus on issues of research in their news gathering and reporting.

Keywords: Ebola Virus Disease (EVD), Mass media, Health Communication and Agenda Setting Theory