MEDIA FRAMING AND TERRORISM: INTERROGATING THE ROLE OF THE MEDIA IN BOOSTING TERRORISM IN NIGERIA

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Abstract

This study critically analyzes the relationship between terrorism and media framing in Nigeria and questions the degree to which the mainstream and digital media organizations amplify, propagate and unwittingly perpetuate terrorism. The research takes a multi-faceted approach to examining how the Nigerian and international media amplify a terrorist narrative by systematically considering the framing theory, agenda-setting theory, and contagion hypothesis with a specific focus on Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP). The study identifies three trends from a broad survey of available peer-reviewed scholarship and media content analyses and security policy documents from 2019 to 2025: sensationalism, disproportionate coverage of terrorist attacks, and uncritical amplification of terrorist propaganda create a media environment that indirectly supports the strategic communication goals of armed non-state actors. The study also reveals the structural causes of irresponsible media framing such as commercial pressures, lack of media meeting the standards, lack of media regulation enforcement, and the disruptive role of social media platforms. This study ends with recommendations for policy makers, newsrooms, CSOs and technology providers in Nigeria. This study examines media framing of Boko Haram and ISWAP terrorism in Nigeria, including: agenda-setting, contagion hypothesis, press freedom, and the Nigerian context.