| Title: |
Nigerian Newspaper Coverage of Senator Ike Ekweremadu's Organ Harvest Deal as A Means of Saving the Nigerian Health Sector |
| Author(s): |
Okoye, Nkiruka Patience & Prof. Igboeli Chinedu. |
| Abstract: |
This study investigates the coverage of Senator Ike
Ekweremadu's organ harvest deal by selected Nigerian
newspapers, focusing on how the media portrayed the
incident and the underlying health sector challenges it
revealed. Employing a content analysis research design,
the study analyzed 480 newspaper editions from The
Punch, Daily Trust, and This Day between June and
December 2022. Findings indicate that only 0.37% of total
news stories addressed the case, with most coverage
framed around legal aspects rather than the systemic
failures in Nigeria's healthcare system. The media
predominantly used a pity frame, emphasizing personal
tragedy over broader social implications. The study
concludes that the Nigerian media failed to adequately
fulfill their social responsibility by neglecting critical
health sector issues. Recommendations include the need
for responsible and investigative journalism that
highlights root causes, avoidance of political and ethnic
bias in reporting, and urgent government reforms to
improve Nigeria's healthcare system. |
| Keywords: |
Nigerian media, content analysis, organ harvest deal, Ike Ekweremadu, health sector, media framing
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