Nigerian Tribune Newspaper Reportage of Ethno-Religious Crime in Nigeria, 2015-2019

Nigeria is now being regarded as one of the terrorist states as a result of the activities of the religious and ethnic fundamentalists. The role of newspapers in ethno-religious crime reportage cannot be over emphasised because of the patronage it has attracted over time. The reporting style of the Nigerian Tribune as one of the major national newspapers in the country covering ethno-religious crisis now comes into questioning, as some stake-holders in the media industry have raised doubt as to its objectivity in reportage of issues which affects the social political well-being of the country. Therefore, this study evaluated ethno-religious crime reportage of the Nigerian Tribune between 2015 and 2019. Development media theory served as a building block for this study. The study adopts mix-research method, using quantitative and qualitative research designs; the instruments used for data collection are Coding Sheet named “Content Analysis Checklist on Ethno-Religious Crime Reportage”. The results were analysed using descriptive and textual analysis techniques. Findings showed that Nigerian Tribune reported 592 (56.4%) ethno-religious crimes for the period under review; its reports of ethno-religious crimes cut across the regions; ranging from Boko Haram-478 (58.0%) in the North- East, Fulani herdsmen attacks-225 (27.3%) in the Middle Belt, South-West and South-East; Banditry-89 (10.8%) in North-West and militancy 32 (3.9%) in the South-South. Nigerian Tribune editorial comment provided forty-four solutions to ethno-religious crimes, twelve early warnings and its reportage involved at least two of police report, eye witness accounts, and relatives of victims’ views, armed forces reports and community heads’ positions. Nigerian Tribune is adjudged fair, balance, accurate in its publications on ethno-religious crimes in relation to its mission statement. The study recommends that as the watchdogs of the society, journalists should constantly report ethno-religious crimes, so as to educate the society on the dangers cause by the activities of ethno-religious crime.


Introduction
The media in Nigeria, being the fourth estate of the realm, has a long history in Nigeria dated to the establishment of the first newspaper, Iwe Irohin by a missionary, Rev Henry Townsend in 1859. The second Nigerian newspaper was Anglo-African established by Robert Campbell in 1863 and was the first paper published in Lagos. Seventeen years letter, The Lagos Times was established by Mr. Richard Olamilege and Beale Blaize in 1880 and Nigerian Tribune newspaper was established in 1949 by Chief Obafemi Awolowo in Ibadan Akinwande [1].
Oyejide [2] posits that ethnically diverse countries of the world tend to face significant challenges in terms of unique national identity, ethnic conflicts, inter-ethnic inequality and poor social and economic performance. This is what Nigeria is experiencing today, especially in the security sector. However, in all its difficulties, this has not in any way diminished the growth of the media as it has shown over the years. Newspapers have received much recognition and pivotal attention in the dissemination of information, especially in crisis situations across the country Akpan, Ering & Olofu-Adeoye [3].
Newspaper is a powerful tool in reporting and communicating in peace and conflict situations. It can be used positively to promote peace and resolve conflicts at appropriate times. Conversely, it can also be used negatively to initiate, escalate and sustain conflicts covertly and overtly I. S. Ndolo [4]. The potentials of the media as a means of communication to promote peace or conflict cannot be over Crime in Nigeria, 2015-2019 emphasised. The information super-highway or internet and related technology have further enhanced the capacity of the media to either "destroy" or "build" humanity through their stock in trade Ngige, A. F Badekale, & I. Hammanjoda [5].
Today, the country's democracy is being challenged by different crimes and unprecedented insecurity, which have led to unrest in the geo-political zones of the country J. Obalonye [6]. A challenge facing journalism in Nigeria today is that of reporting the activities of crimes I. S. Popoola [4]. Nigeria operates a pluralistic media system in which both the public and privately owned media exist side-by-side. Newspapers are often referred to as the watchdog of the society. This implies that the newspaper exists as an organ of information (sourcing and disseminating) educational promotion, surveillance, social enlightenment and mobilization. These functions set the media as an important factor that links and promotes the relationship between the government and the governed, making them a sine qua non to societal growth and development A. E. Azad [7].
Often, terrorists and criminals tend to manipulate and exploit the media for their own purposes by sending messages of violence, thus gaining mass publicity B. Archibong [8]. On the other hand, countries also have to include both national and international media into their counter-terrorism and crime control strategies. The news media acts as a means through which their acts are made known to the society, thereby instilling fear into the mass audience I. O. Josephat, [9]

Statement of the Problem
The role of newspapers in ethno-religious crime reportage cannot be over emphasised in view of the global attention it has attracted over time. In recent times, Nigeria is been regarded as one of the terrorist states amongst the comity of nations as a result of the activities of the religious or ethnic fundamentalists in the nation. This calls for serious concern among political leaders since ethno-religious crimes have affected Nigeria economy, which has drifted into depression. There has been wanton loss of lives and properties, and general human degradation, hopelessness, famine, arson, food insecurities, poor qualities of live and general social economic imbalance in the nation. The effect of these crises have not only affected the image of the country, but has also encouraged ethnic agitation for secession. This position has made Nigeria to be considered by the elite as being gradually drifting into a failed state and the press has a major role to play if the nation is to avert another civil war. The reporting style of the Nigerian Tribune as one of the major national newspapers in the country reporting ethno-religious crisis now comes into questioning as some stake-holders in the media industry have raised doubt as to whether its reports are objective, fair,, give importance to ethno-religious crimes and are in tandem with the professional standards of media practice in Nigeria, (which emphase fairness, conciseness and balance reportage of issues which affects the socio-political well-being of the country.) There is a major concern among the readers of Nigerian Tribune newspaper, scholars and the general public as to properly understand its reportage style when it comes to ethno-religious crisis.
Hence, this study seeks to review ethno-religious crime reportage of Nigerian Tribune being a leading daily newspaper in the country with over 70 years of publication experience vis a vis the fulfilment of the mission statement of the media organisation.

Research Questions
The study will provide answers to the following research questions: 1.

Concept of Ethno-Religious Crime in Nigeria
According to Habibu [10] Violent conflicts have their historical forebear in Nigeria. In many ways, it can be postulated that the creation of Nigeria as a country was an outcome of many conflicts and compromises. Nigeria is a pluralistic society; culturally, politically, ethnically, religiously and otherwise. Of all these pluralism, it appears that ethnicity and religion are the most dominant and problematic, thus ethnicity and religion have provided the pattern and potential for the protracted violent ethnoreligious conflicts this country has experienced in the past three decades Azeez, 2018 [11]. Scholars have attributed the causes of these conflicts to various factors like the struggle for land resources, traditional authority, competition for economic and political spaces, clash of values and way of lives, religion and ethnicity and religious manipulations Habibu, 2016 [10].
The ethno-religious and communal conflicts that has befallen Nigeria since the return to civil rule in 1999 are inbuilt in socio-economic and political management of postcolonial Nigeria. However, with the renewed attempt at entrenching democracy, struggle for political and economic spaces has intensified between and among the various ethnoreligious and political groups, thus making these conflicts inevitable Habibu [10]. It was identified that poverty in the country occasioned by social and economic dislocation, ethnic and religious manipulations by the elite as the brain behind this spate of ethno-religious violent conflicts, likewise pluralism and diversity in Nigeria, abundant human and natural resources have deepened suspicion, hatred and distrust among the people.
A study examines violent conflicts in northern states using Bauchi, Plateau and Taraba States as case studies. Violent conflicts have become a recurrent and incessant features in the past three decades in Nigeria and that no part of Nigeria is left out in these violent conflicts, it further explored various theoretical perspectives to provide an insight into the ramification of violent conflicts in Nigeria especially in Bauchi, Plateau and Taraba States Azeez, 2018 [11].
The work assesses the causes, effects, dynamics and mechanisms for managing conflicts to find solutions to the problem of ethno-religious conflicts. The study asserted that religion, ethnicity and the manipulative roles of the political elite are mainly responsible for the spate of ethno-religious conflicts in Nigeria. It also identifies ignorance, poverty, marginalization, and fear of domination as equally responsible for these conflicts.

Concept of Mass Media
"Media" means a plural form of medium and medium means communication, and it means a mode of expression. Media passes certain characteristics which compromise both technical and institutional methods of production and distribution. It also involves the commodification of symbolic form as well as separate contexts the production and reception of information, whereby products on mass production are disseminated to a great number of audiences, however, different media having its particular characteristics based on accessibility, reach, and audience.
Media play important role in democracy as watchdog helping in the establishment of democracy and safeguard the existing values in the democracy and it entertain the public by way of music, drama, films, dance, etc. Ndolo [15]. Not only Media useful society but also for business marketing in which their product introduced to society through media and ultimately it results in economic growth of nation, and media educate people.
Generally The phrase Media began to be used in 1920, the notion of mass media was generally restricted to print media up until the post Second World War, when radio, television and video were introduced Ngige, Badekale, & Hammanjoda [5]. Due to development in science and technology, different types of media-originated accordingly in different stages of the history of the world as; Print media including books, pamphlets, newspapers, magazines, etc. originated from the late 15th century. Recordings including gramophone records, magnetic tapes, cassettes, cartridges, CDs, DVDs etc. originated from the late 19th century and Cinema about 1900. Radio came into existence from about 1910 and Television find its place from about 1950, Internet from about 1990, and Mobile phones from about 2000 . Media also broadly classified into two types visual and non-visual based on its nature, scope, and effectiveness on the society Josephat [9].

Media and Ethno-Religious Crime in Nigeria
Mass media most times thrive on conflicts because conflict attracts readers, viewers and listeners to the media. "The greater the conflict the greater the audience, which are imperatives to the financial success of media outlets" Sunny & Okechukwu [12]. Bearing this in mind, therefore, the prime news value of the media in conflict, disorder or negative events. Good news stories receive less media attention than bad news. A familiar adage in journalism is "bad news is good news and usually, good news is no news" unless it happens to the most powerful. The media coverage is also event-driven. In other words, the outbreak of ethnoreligious conflicts receives more immediate coverage than on-going reconciliation efforts or the building of the economy which may take many years to achieve. A study argues that in a pluralistic society like Nigeria, there are different forms of diversity and that due to the nature of religion, operating the media in a multi-religious situation tends to be more challenging and problematic, it further stressed that the interactions between the media and religion are more delicate than those between the media and other forms of plurality Eze [13]. This is because "by the nature of religion, it has to do with matters of life and death" Ahokegh [14].
In another article on the roles and responsibilities of the mass media in conflict management, the article stresses the vital role of the mass media in conflict management. The media have the power, control and influence on their consuming public. Though media objectivity is desired, it is difficult to attain because "media practitioners are human beings who have their convictions, principles and minds of their own", so media objectivity is usually affected by ownership, economic interests, religious affiliation and cultural factors. This, the article attests further, can only be overcome through reorientation of practitioners, training on conflict management and provisions of adequate funding for media houses.
In another contribution to this issue, the study dwells specifically on the role of the media in the "Mob Cartoon" riots" of 200" Nkechi [16]. Like other scholars, the study avers that ethno-religious conflicts are more frequent and devastating than other conflicts and that "to say that the media reports of religious crises cause religious tensions around the world is an understatement". As a solution to this, it advocates for the government among other things to "check the publication of private media, the proliferation of quack media houses," and that government should also give free hand to its media houses while ensuring that they adhere to their professional ethics.
A similar article on media and conflict management in Nigeria covers between 1999 and 2009. The work highlights the negative effects and the role of the mass media in conflict management. Because of the very nature of conflicts which encompass both manifest and hidden causes, it does not lend itself to easy solutions, as a result of this; the study argues that there is an urgent need for informed and responsible management of conflict International Crisis Group [19]. The mass media, the study maintains, are, therefore, an important factor in conflict management in any given society.
In terms of media role in the escalation or de-escalation of conflicts, the study further considers whether the factors of ownership, location, ethnic, religious or regional affiliation affect the way the mass media cover conflicts E. Sunny & C. Okechukwu [12]. It concludes by asserting that "the media cannot be divorced from the realities of their environment when considered against the social, economic and political structure since the media do not operate in a vacuum, they cannot be free from the many forces in the society Sunny & Okechukwu [12].

Development Media Theory
To ascertain the role of the media in curbing terrorism, it becomes imperative therefore, to acknowledge that the role of the media is critical in promoting good governance and controlling terrorism. It does not only raise public awareness about terrorism, it reveals its causes, consequences and possible remedies. It also investigates and reports incidences of terrorism. The effectiveness of the media, in turn, depends on access to information and freedom of expression, as well as a professional and ethical cadre of investigative journalists (World Bank Group, 2017.) If democracy is to survive and be a fruitful concept, the role of the media in sustaining it through anti-terrorism crusade could not be overemphasised.
Primary of these is the proper understanding of the concept and nature of the media practice that can nurture democracy and create a favourable environment for it to thrive. The fight against terrorism in Nigeria one must acknowledge is one of the most daunting and challenging tasks to embark on, but with political will and commitment by her leaders through the aid of the media's influence in creating the right attitude by all Nigerians there is no doubt that someday, terrorism rate will be at minimal level in the country Bashir [17]. Specifically, while the role that a free press can play in investigating, reporting and thereby helping combat terrorism is now well recognised, assessments and descriptions of the precise means by which news media can perform this function appear to be scarce, despite the fact that there is a strong correlation between the incidence of terrorism and the extent to which the media is free.
The mass media play important roles in the society, which include informative, educative and entertaining roles. Through these roles, they may aim at creating awareness, achieving behavioural change, easing societal tension and so on Bello [18]. Taking a clue from the Development Media Theory, the emphasis is laid on the application of media techniques to lessen political tension, increase the level of political education, and create a sound, stable and secure atmosphere for public enlightenment; all to carry the masses along towards national development.
The theory sees the press as a very important entity in the society. It is seen as the voice of the people. The "voice role" of the press is a sacred one, which demands that it should be carried out fairly, honestly, courageously and constructively. The press occupies a very critical position in the socio-political development of any country. Asides the general roles of information, education and entertainment, the press is capable of mobilising public opinion on topical issues, influencing government's policy and enhancing social interaction and integration among various components of the society.
In a situation of insurgency, the media must assume its social responsibility roles and follow governmental policies as regards dissemination of security details. The Development Media Theory for this study, emphasises national security as a part of national development as the central aim of the activities of the press. Hence, the struggle for an end to insurgency does not lie solely with the government or the security outfit of a country, the media also have roles to play Habibu [10].

Methodology
The study adopted qualitative research method, using quantitative content analysis; the study used publications of Nigerian Tribune between June 1 st , 2015 to May 28 th , 2019. The total numbers of publication in the study period are 1447 publications.
The study adopted the census technique. The rationale for the choice of method is because it provides a true measurement of the population (no sampling error) from which a benchmark data may be obtained for future studies. Detailed information about small sub-group within this period (June 1 st , 2015 to May, 28 th , 2019) was purposely acquired.

Research Instrument
The instruments that were used for this study are the Coding Sheet named as Content analysis checklist on Ethno-Religious crime reportage (CACERCR) adopted from (Amedu A. A, 2020), the coding sheet was adopted to bring the real manifestation contents of the Nigerian Tribune on ethno-religious crime. The code was constructed based on the unit of analysis and content categories. In addition, the code sheet was filled based on the coding instruction. The coding instructions were properly articulated in the content code sheet below to guide the coder in the coding of the contents of communication. The method of data presentation and analysis were descriptive and textual analysis in essay form.  Table 1 shows that between 1

Re-statement of Research Questions
Research Question One: What is the frequency of reportage of ethno-religious crime in Nigeria by Nigerian Tribune newspapers between June 1 st , 2015 and May 28 th , 2019?  Table 3 shows that 1047 (71.8%) of the publications were examined by the researchers as weekdays' publications, while 412 (28.2%) of the publications were not examined by the researchers as Saturday and Sunday publications of Nigerian Tribune.  Table 4 shows that 592 (56.4%) of the publications carried ethno-religious crime stories, while 457 (43.6%) of the publications were without ethno-religious crime stories.       In achieving fairness and accuracy as stated by the code of ethical standard of media practice in Nigeria, 395 publications of Nigerian Tribune on ethno-religious crimes reportage involved the police reports, eye witness accounts and community heads' positions on the incidents, 265 publications included armed forces reports, eye witness accounts and community head's positions on the incidents, 354 publications comprised Police reports and eye witness accounts on the incidents, 401 publications comprised Police reports and relatives of victims' accounts on the incidents, 431 of the publications had sources for their reports. There were however, no report without any of the above parameters. Table 9. Editorial Independency of Nigerian Tribune.
Editorial Independency of Nigerian Tribune 728 hard news and feature news on ethno-religious crimes reported by Nigerian Tribune were written by professional journalists as they all carried by-lines at the top of each of the reports, 56 of the editorials on ethno-religious crimes published by Nigerian Tribune were presented as the viewpoint of the newspaper and 40 letters to the editor on ethnoreligious crime had names of the writers.

Privilege / Non-Disclosure of Sources by Nigerian Tribune
In the 728 hard news and features on ethno-religious crimes reported by Nigerian Tribune, maintain high level of confidentiality of their sources were used as names of sources where not mentioned in the publications, the writers used terms like "according to a source", "a unanimous source" to protect their sources of information.

Decency of Publications by Nigerian Tribune
The 824 publications of Nigerian Tribune on ethno-religious crimes reviewed were not in any way offensive, abusive, or used vulgar languages.

Abuse of Children Rights by Nigerian Tribune
Reading through the publications as published by Nigerian Tribune on ethno-religious crimes, in the publications under review, the newspaper did not in any way violate children rights as faces of children involved were not show on the pages of the newspaper, the images of faces of children were showed only during their 'release ceremony' with the president and when they reunite with their parents.

Violence Publications by Nigerian Tribune
The reports of Nigerian Tribune though captured terrorists' activities but they did not in any way instigate violence among religious groups or ethnic groups. They also present their reports in a balance manner by making enquiries from every party involved in the incidents. Thus, it can be said that Nigerian Tribune reported ethnoreligious crimes under the period reviewed. It reported all forms of ethno-religious crimes across the nation, ranging from Boko Haram in the north-eastern part of the country, Fulani herdsmen attacks in the Middle Bet, South-west and South-east, banditry in North-west and the Niger Delta militancy in the South-south. The above findings are in line with literatures reviewed by Ubelejit, 2017 as it was stated that most times mass media thrive on conflicts/crisis. This is because they attract readers, viewers and listeners to the media. The greater the crisis reports the greater the audience, which is imperatives to the financial success of media outlets (N. T. Ubelejit 2017). Therefore, the prime news value of the media is conflict, disorder or negative events and good news stories receive less media attention than bad news (This Day Editorial, 2015.) Also, a familiar adage in journalism is "bad news is good news and usually, good news is no news (N. T. Ubelejit 2017)." unless it happens to the most powerful (O. S. Eze, 2014.) Media coverage is also event-driven. In other words, the outbreak of ethno-religious conflicts receives more immediate coverage than on-going reconciliation efforts or the building of the economy which may take many years to achieve. As it was argued in the literature reviewed, that in a pluralistic society like Nigeria, there are different forms of diversity and that due to the nature of religion, operating the media in a multi-religious situation tends to be more challenging and problematic. It further stressed that the interactions between the media and religion are more delicate than those between the media and other forms of plurality. Likewise, the mass media play important roles in the society which includes informative, educative and entertaining roles, through these roles, they may aim at creating awareness, achieving behavioural change, easing societal tension and so on (A. Bello Hence, in answering the level of prominence given to ethno-religious crimes by Nigerian Tribune under the period reviewed, it can be said that the newspaper reported more of hard news followed by editorials and less of features stories on ethno-religious crimes between June 1 st , 2015 and May 28 th , 2019. Also it can be stated that high number of reports on ethno-religious crime were reported on the front pages of the newspaper, while 67 reports were reported in the Centre spread of the publications. In line with the above findings, the Agenda Setting Theory (Agenda Building) shows that the media can give prominence to news stories through layout (front, inside, centre spread and back pages) in the newspapers as it is stated that media concentration on a few issues and subjects leads the public to perceive those issues as more important than other issues. In the same vein, the Social Responsibility Theory imposes on them an obligation to be socially responsible in discharging their duties, which were fulfilled by showcasing the incidents and happenings around the nation in the paper's publications.

Discussion of Findings
Therefore, if placement of stories at strategic areas on the newspapers can make them famous than another, it might be right to posit that "The media lack powers to suppress concern. But they can do more than stimulate interest. By directing attention to these concerns they provide, a context that influences how people will talk about these matters… the media more than direct attention to a problem; they influence how people will think about it".
Research Question Three: What is the level of compliance with ethical standard in ethno-religious crime reportage of Nigerian Tribune newspapers between June, 2015 and May, 2019?
From the coding, 395 publications of Nigerian Tribune on ethno-religious crimes included the police reports, eye witness accounts and community heads' positions on the incidents, 265 publications of Nigerian Tribune on ethnoreligious crimes included armed forces reports, eye witness accounts and community head position on the incidents, 354 publications of Nigerian Tribune on ethno-religious crimes included police reports and eye witness accounts on the incidents, 401 publications of Nigerian Tribune on ethnoreligious crimes included police reports and report from relatives of victims on the incidents, 431 of the publications had sources for their reports, while there was no report without either of the above parameters.
It was also gather that 728 hard news and feature news on ethno-religious crimes reported by Nigerian Tribune were written by professional journalists as they all carried by-lines at the top of the publications, 728 hard news and features on ethno-religious crimes disseminated by Nigerian Tribune maintain high level of confidentiality of their sources (as names of sources were not mentioned in the publication as they used terms like "according to a source", a unanimous source to protect their sources of information.) The study further gathered that 824 publications of Nigerian Tribune on ethno-religious crime were not in any way offensive, abusive and did not use vulgar languages. It was also gathered that the newspaper did not in any way violate children rights, as faces of children involved were not shown on the pages of the papers; the images of faces of children were show only during their release ceremony with the President and when they reunited with their parents. The study viewed that the reports of Nigerian Tribune did not in any way instigate violence among religious groups or ethnic groups, as they present their reports in balance manners by making enquiries from every party involved in the incidents.
Hence, it can be said that Nigerian Tribune is fair, balance, accurate in its publication on ethno-religious crimes under the period reviewed. It can be further said that Nigerian Tribune publications observed the ethical standard by the Nigerian Press Council by not showing faces of children involve in crimes. Also, Nigerian Tribune observed independent as all the publications were written by media professionals, the newspaper protects the confidentiality of their sources. Nigerian Tribune publications on ethnoreligious crime were not in any way offensive, abusive and not use vulgar languages. The findings are in line with code of ethics for Nigerian journalists by Nigerian Press Council, which "stated that Journalism entails a high degree of public trust. To earn and maintain this trust, it is morally imperative for every journalist and every news medium to observe the highest professional and ethical standards." Also in a study reviewed in the literatures, it is a journalist's top priority to report and write the truth. This is the reason why truthfulness and accuracy make up one of the most important standards in the code of ethics.

Conclusion
From the findings of this study, it is concluded that Nigerian Tribune reported ethno-religious crimes under the period reviewed and its reports of ethno-religious crimes cut across the nation ranging from Boko Haram in the northeastern part of the country, Fulani herdsmen attacks in the Middle Bet, South-West and South-East, banditry in Northwestern part and the Niger Delta militancy in the south-south.
Nigerian Tribune reported more of hard news followed by editorials and less of features stories on ethno-religious crimes; high numbers of reports on ethno-religious crime were reported on the front page of the newspaper.
Nigerian Tribune is fair, balance, accurate in its publications on ethno-religious crimes under the period reviewed. Its publications observed the Code of Ethics for Nigerian Journalists by Nigerian Press Council by being fair and accurate through including police reports, eye witness accounts, not showing faces of children involved in crimes, protecting the confidentiality of their sources, none usage of offensive, abusive, or use of vulgar languages.

Recommendations
Based on the research findings, the following recommendations are hereby made: 1. As the watchdogs of the society, journalists should have in mind the role of media in nation building as they constantly cover and report ethno-religious crimes so as to inform and educate the society on the dangers caused by the activities of ethno-religious crime. 2. Journalists as a matter of agenda-setting, should always give importance to ethno-religious crimes as the media filter and shape reality and make public to perceive issues as more important than other issues based on media concentration. 3. Journalists should constantly bear in mind their professional ethics under the umbrella of Code of Ethics for Nigerian Journalists by Nigerian Press Council such as equity objectivity, fairness and justice, in covering and reporting ethno-religious crimes as this would help accurate and fairness in ethno-religious crime. 4. Journalists should ensure reports must be factual and not constitute any threat to the unity of the country. 5. Journalists should avoid sensational reports which may affect Socio-economic development of the country, through fake news, hate speech and news commercialisation. All these can scare away potential foreign investors into the country.