Concepts and Emerging Theories: An Analysis of Editorials in Nigerian Newspapers

Abstract

One of the ways newspapers bare their mind on issues of public interest is through editorials. As an important piece of writing, editorials do not shy away from controversies, in the hope of not only presenting the issues to the reading public, but also drawing responses from the public and attracting new readership in the competitive marketplace of ideas. It is on this premise that this paper examines the relatedness in the concepts that make up the contents of editorials in three selected Nigerian newspapers. Through a qualitative analysis of editorials in The Guardian, Vanguard and Daily Sun newspapers using Grounded Theory method, the concepts of Timeliness, Contempt, Personality-Issue, Audience-Specific and Change were discovered. The study period spans from January – June 2012 and it focuses on salient issues of public interest as commented on by the newspapers. The findings of this study which are the concepts stated earlier gave rise to emerging theories.

Key words: Editorial, Grounded Theory, Concepts, Emerging Theory, Newspapers