Department Of Mass Communication, Benson Idahosa University, Benin City, Nigeria.
The indispensable role of the press in setting agenda on an issue, create political awareness through social action, especially in a democratic setting is not in doubt. This research is a retrospective analysis of the way the Nigerian press covered the controversy which engulfed Alhaji Salisu Ibrahim Buhari and Mrs. Patricia Olubunmi Etteh, two former Speakers of the Federal House of Representatives in 1999 and 2007 respectively. The contoversy which swept away the two former Speakers from the exalted office, bordered on criminality and abuse of office. The research used the content analysis method of scientific inquiry. Two national dailies – The Punch and Vanguard were analyzed to determine the extent of coverage and the direction/slant of news presentation by the two newspapers. The study recommends that there is the need for a Freedom of Information (FoI) Act in the country, in order to have openness and transparency in government.
Press, Agenda-Setting, Social Action, Democracy, Crisis, Constitution
