Rethinking the Risks Journalists Face in Reporting Ethno-Religious Conflicts in Jos

Abstract

Jos is one of the most renowned cities in Nigeria for its tourist, commercial and historical significance. Sadly, this capital city of Plateau state has been engulfed by various ethno-religious conflicts over the past two decades resulting in the lost of many lives and properties. Journalists have been reporting over the matter, yet many journalists have faced various problems as a result. Some have been injured, others killed and a number of get emotional and physical injuries through their experiences of reportage in crisis pronged areas and especially in Jos. This research is case study research and is qualitative because it relied solely on interviewing some journalists from different media outlets in Jos. The aim is to obtained reports about risks faced by journalists when covering ethno-religious conflicts news in Jos. The researchers advocated that news framing is vital because journalists have the right to filter news reportage towards the peace of a community. This debate is discussed at length in this research. The researchers also recommended that journalist need to be provided with adequate security whenever they go to the field to obtained news item.

Keywords: ethno-religious conflicts, news framing, reportage, solution journalist.