The politics and plights of 2022 Naira redesign policy in Nigeria

Content analysis of select Newspapers

Abstract

The Naira redesign policy of the CBN generated of debate among observers, economic hardship with seemingly political undertone. This study therefore, examined the coverage of CBN Naira redesign policy in Nigeria by three select Nigerian newspapers (Punch, Vanguard and The Sun). The story type, sources and direction of the news were examined. This study was anchored on the agenda setting theory. The study covers the period of November 2022 to March 2023, a period of intense media coverage of the Naira redesign policy. The content analysis research method was used for this study. The study used the composite week sampling technique to select newspapers which amounted to a sample size of 105 editions. The study found out that the major coverage on the naira redesign policy was presented as straight news. Furthermore, the direction of the stories shows that the majority of the coverage was on negative direction with dominant theme depicting harsh economic realities that prevailed during this period. The study recommends among others that newspapers must at all times, hold government accountable and demonstrate their disapproval of anti-masses policies through sustained reportage, editorials, in-depth analysis and interpretative reporting.