Public and Stakeholders' Perceptions of Newspaper Coverage of Child Labour in Nigeria

Abstract

The chapter explored public and stakeholder perceptions of media coverage of child labour in Nigeria. It has been observed that most studies are deficient in information on the interplay between media coverage of children issues and public perception of such coverage. This study therefore adopted the convergent mixed method design to elicit responses from audiences. Respondents were drawn from Babcock University on the assumption that individuals are literate enough to understand newspaper reports. Civil society organizations across Nigeria that deal specifically with children issues and some State Ministries of Women Affairs were sampled. The survey showed that people have knowledge of child labour issues from newspapers which in turn affect their attitude; however, their reactions to the reports are moderately favourable to the cause of abused children. It was recommended that newspapers give more coverage to child labour issues so that the public will have more knowledge and in turn make informed decisions.