Archaeology And The Print Media In Nigeria

Abstract

Archaeology examines human cultural expressions as reflected in the artefactual record, in particular, through excavation of the remains of human settlements. Problems with Archaeology in Nigeria have been viewed in terms of poor funding, low number of archaeologists, and poor preservation of artifacts. The reportage and/or framing of Archaeology and archaeological issues by the Nigerian print media are other factors to be considered in discussions about the problems with Nigerian Archaeology. This holds true because effective and frequent reportage on archaeological issues will no doubt influence the way people perceive Archaeology. Consequently, the paper examined how two print media outfits - The Guardian and Vanguard newspapers - frame issues on archaeology from 1^st May 2019 to 31^st July, 2019. The investigation laid much emphasis on frequency, prominence, story type and frame used in the reportage. Findings revealed that the newspapers recorded only 7 news stories within the study period, and all the reports were placed inside the pages of the sampled newspapers. Result also revealed that news was used mainly to report issues on archaeology and related issues such as arts and culture for extant society, travel and tourism were reported more than archaeological issues. The implication of the findings is that archaeological issues were accorded low priority in the sampled newspapers. Based on the findings, the study recommends that archaeology and archaeological issues should be reported frequently using other formats - editorial, feature and opinion articles for in-depth analysis, and for better understanding of the importance of Archaeology to society.

Keywords: Archaeology, Print Media, Newspapers, Reportage, Nigeria

DOI: 10.7176/NMMC/99-04

Publication date:November 30^th 2021