By Michael Omotosho |
A former Chief Press Secretary to Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, Sunday Olakunle Somorin, has bagged a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Communication Studies from Crescent University, Abeokuta.
Somorin was among the pioneer PhD graduates of the university’s Faculty of Social and Management Sciences, Department of Mass Communication.
He defended his thesis on Wednesday after spending five years and three months in the university’s PhD programme.
His thesis, titled “Assessment of Media Framing of the 2023 Presidential Election Campaign,” looked at the way Nigerian newspapers reported the 2023 presidential election and how such reports shaped public understanding of the election.
The study examined six newspapers — The PUNCH, ThisDay, Vanguard, Daily Trust, Daily Sun and LEADERSHIP — during the 149-day official campaign period from September 28, 2022, to February 23, 2023.
Somorin and his research team analysed 2,733 campaign stories published in 894 editions of the newspapers.
They also subjected 72 major reports to Critical Discourse Analysis and interviewed nine editors and media scholars as part of the research.
Study finds 1,027 ethical breaches
Presenting the findings of the study, Somorin said the research showed what he described as a “social responsibility deficit” in the way the media covered the election.
He said the newspapers also differed in the way they presented the major presidential candidates.
According to him, Southern-based newspapers largely framed Peter Obi around “moral renewal”, while Northern-based newspapers placed more emphasis on “administrative capacity” in their reports on Bola Tinubu.
The study also found that although the Labour Party and Obi challenged the long-standing APC-PDP dominance, 14 other political parties received little attention in the newspapers examined.
Somorin described the situation as “Disputed Duopolism.”
The research further recorded 1,027 ethical breaches during the campaign period.
Somorin referred to the trend as “ethical elasticity,” saying professional standards were sometimes compromised depending on political interests.
“The press functioned less as a neutral Fourth Estate and more as a Participatory Gladiator,” he said.
He explained that headlines, newspaper layouts and the language used in reports could influence how voters perceived candidates and political issues.
Proposes framework for election reporting
Based on the findings, Somorin introduced the IMAT-ACERBATE framework — S = V + PB as a possible tool for newsrooms and regulators to assess media performance during elections.
He called for editorial boards to be better protected from proprietorial influence and for news organisations to give wider representation to political parties during election coverage.
He also recommended a review of journalism training to better prepare reporters for the challenges that come with covering elections.
Somorin said the study was not meant to attack the journalism profession but to help improve it.
“The research is not to indict journalism, but to recalibrate it for the sake of democratic survival,” he said.
Three decades in journalism
Somorin has spent about three decades working in journalism, government and public communication.
He has worked as London Bureau Chief of ThisDay, Editorial Director of LEADERSHIP and Editor-in-Chief of the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library.
He also served as Special Assistant on Media to the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Austin Opara, between 2003 and 2007.
He later served as Director General of Research and Public Communications in Niger State.
Somorin also worked as Publications Manager at the Africa Leadership Forum in Ota.
He holds degrees in English, International Affairs and Diplomacy and writes a Sunday column, “Democrazy,” for The PUNCH, where he focuses on democracy and statecraft.
He is a member of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), Association of Communication Scholars and Practitioners of Nigeria (ACSPN), Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) and the Guild of Editors.
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