In the media’s defence

The constant attacks by the Fulani herdsmen threw the whole country into  state of mourning and fear .Media covering every details of the attack drawing attention and support from millions of people worldwide. For anyone with a minute idea of the machinations of the information particularly news reporting, the reasons aren’t rather far-fetched.  Unfortunately, as […]

The constant attacks by the Fulani herdsmen threw the whole country into  state of mourning and fear .Media covering every details of the attack drawing attention and support from millions of people worldwide. For anyone with a minute idea of the machinations of the information particularly news reporting, the reasons aren’t rather far-fetched.

 Unfortunately, as the reactions of thousands of people on social media platforms, and particularly the onslaught suffered by the victims points out that not many people grasp how the media works.

Fortunately, what comes to the mind of most people when they hear the word “news” is fresh information and sometimes, unusual. It is on this fact that many news organizations thrive on.

Speaking of the unusual, the attacks in Benue were unexpected, hence its newsworthiness. To use a clichéd analogy, a “Dog Bites Man” headline is more likely to be ignored while a newspaper with “Man Bites Dog” headline is more likely to stand out from its news stand competitions. This is a perfect example of the agenda being set for the agenda-setter.

With news of the attack splashed across the front pages of many national dailies and in news channels, the equal-opportunity crusaders pour out in horde, falling over themselves to mercilessly rip the traditional and new media outlets from all sides because of its “apparent” bias and its underreporting of more dire and long-running conflicts in Africa and the Middle-East. While this is a honest and noble argument, it is imperative to understand that once a news item becomes plainness, it quickly slips off the top of the list of prominent issues to be discussed on major news networks. A perfect example is the news about the Chibok Girls’ abduction which set the international ablaze and drew millions of supporters on Twitter with the #BringBackOurGirls# slogan and then slowly tricked down the prominence list until it is barely talked or written about even in the local media.

Therefore, in the media’s defence, I say newsworthiness thrives on novelty, on what’s trending and on unusual events. Successful attacks on countries with near airtight security system are usually a matter of shock and bizarreness. And that is what the world expressed – shock at a neatly executed operation inside “enemy” lines.

Abubakar Salihi Takai      [email protected]