https://journals.covenantuniversity.edu.ng/index.php/cjoc <p><span>Covenant Journal of Communication is a peer reviewed and research based journal published twice every year (June and December) by the Department of Mass Communication, Covenant University, Ota, Nigeria. The Journal aims to be a leading and preferred voice for international scholars, academics, researchers, authors, and students of communication. The Journal also aims to ensure that African scholars, researchers, authors, and students have a credible outlet to generate and share knowledge that is relevant to the context of Africa in particular and the world in general.</span></p> Covenant University en-US Covenant Journal of Communication 2354-3515 <p>Authors of the articles published in CJOC retain the copyright of their articles and are free to reproduce and disseminate their work. For further details see the Covenant Journals Copyright and license agreement.</p> https://journals.covenantuniversity.edu.ng/index.php/cjoc/article/view/4144 <p>COVID-19 being a pandemic that had an unprecedented impact on virtually all aspects of human endeavour globally, continues to<br>attract the interest of researchers who have been investigating different aspects. This study therefore analyses the framing of COVID19 in The Guardian and Daily Trust newspapers in Nigeria from April to August 2020. Data revealed that the two newspapers gave<br>ample coverage of the coronavirus pandemic and that death toll frames and positive frames were significantly used in conveying the<br>stories on the disease. The study also found that the newspapers gave prominence to the pandemic evidenced by the placement of<br>stories on their front pages. Additionally, the research finds that both newspapers employed various frames in the framing of<br>COVID-19, encompassing topics such as hand washing, social distancing, medical care, lockdown measures, and public perceptions,<br>aligning with the third objective of determining framing patterns. The study concludes that the front-page placement of COVID-19<br>stories by the two newspapers increased visibility, highlighting the significance of the pandemic to their audience and effectively<br>setting the agenda on the issue, with a total of 1,148 stories during the investigated period. Arising from the findings, the study<br>recommends, among others, that newspapers should continue to use positive frames that would enlighten people about important<br>health issues and downplay negative frames that would instil fear. It also recommends that important health issues should be given<br>prominence through placement on the front page since stories on the front pages of newspapers attract attention and tend to carry<br>more weight.</p> Taye Obateru Isaac Ejiga Copyright (c) 2023 2023-12-18 2023-12-18 10 10 https://journals.covenantuniversity.edu.ng/index.php/cjoc/article/view/4161 <p>The paper examined the phenomena of fake news during public emergencies and evaluated how news<br>consumers discern reality in an increasing environment of misleading information during emerging<br>situations. To adequately probe how individuals respond to fake news, the study conducted an online<br>survey using the chat group BSU ACADEMICS on Telegram. The chat group is open to academic staff of<br>the Benue State University, Makurdi, Nigeria. Findings from the study showed that the public is<br>increasingly relying on online media as their first point of call for news, including social media, blogs, and<br>web pages of traditional media. News consumers encounter fake news online, and are not oblivious of its<br>presence, especially during emergencies such as the Covid-19 pandemic; news consumers resort to<br>crosschecking unverified information from more credible outlets; doing online background check on<br>suspected content and discouraging the re-sharing of fake news as it can create panic and distort genuine<br>information. It is increasingly becoming a reality that emergencies present themselves with the spread of<br>fake news that requires verifications by information consumers. Media literacy is therefore required to<br>ensure the crosschecking of readily available online information with other credible sources and then<br>discourage the spread of fake news as it can create panic and distort genuine information.</p> DEGARR, Hangeior TINE, Vaungwa Apaa Nyihar Copyright (c) 2023 2023-12-18 2023-12-18 12 12