READERS PERCEPTION VIEW ON BUHARI’S ELECTION ON VANGUARD NEWSPAPER WEBSITE
ABSTRACT
This study analysed comments posted by readers on Vanguard newspaper website relating to news reports of
President Muhammadu Buhari‘s election victory and whether such comments are positive, neutral or negative.
It also examined if readers used appropriately or abused the comments section of Vanguard newspaper
website as provided to serve as a feedback mechanism between the news medium and the public. The study
was guided by research questions which bothered on what the connotations expressed by readers indicate
about their understanding of news reports on the election of Buhari in relation to the way they used the
comments section of Vanguard newspaper website. The reception theory was used to explain how readers
receive media reports and how such content of the reports make them to post positive, neutral or negative
comments on any media content related to Buhari‘s election based on individual differences and preferences.
The theory is concerned with the effect a text has on its readers and how such readers behave after assessing
its content. The research method used in this study is content analysis and the duration of the research is from
March to June, 2015. The population consisted of 1,135 reports published in 122 online editions of Vanguard
newspaper between March to June, 2015. The study used simple random sampling method to select 20% of
the population; this resulted to 227 news stories which were coded under the following units of analysis:
straight news, feature article, column, opinion and editorial. Also, various content categories were derived and
analysed by four coders using established criteria, including the four most frequently used keywords and
phrases used by readers to describe Muhammadu Buhari which were purposively sampled from the 14,934
comments attached to the 227 news stories. The collated data was quantitatively and qualitatively presented
and analysed using tables. The ndings of the study indicate the following: that majority of the comments,
keywords and phrases posted by readers on news reports related to Muhammadu Buhari on Vanguard website
had negative connotations. This suggests that the comments section is misused as a feedback platform; the
comments section was dominated by readers who did not react to issues in the news as presented but used
the platform for their own motives regardless of whether or not their comments will cause division or even
scare away other readers from the website; the level of tolerance among readers of Vanguard newspaper
website is extremely low especially considering Nigeria‘s multi-ethnic/religious society and if left unmoderated, commenters on newspaper websites like this can resort to use of injurious words and phrases that
could spark crises in the country; and that despite its abuses, the comments section of newspaper websites
remains a veritable tool for free speech, feedback, sharing of ideas, posting eyewitness pictures or videos and
providing more facts on news items. Therefore, the study recommended that despite the poor performance of most
media outfits in Nigeria, Vanguard and other newspaper websites should consider the use of moderators that
should review comments, not in a censorship format, before they are posted on their platforms or else they risk
losing readers and potential visitors thereby affecting their online trace and advertisements. Such moderators
should edit comments that do not promote national unity or morality by prohibiting the posting of comments
with abusive, ethno-religious, pornographic or foul language by readers.
READERS PERCEPTION VIEW ON BUHARI’S ELECTION ON VANGUARD NEWSPAPER WEBSITE