Abstract:

This paper examines the way and manner by which the print media reported the religious crisis that broke out as a result of the introduction of sharia law in the year 2000 in Kaduna, northern Nigeria. The paper investigates the assumptions that the editorial postures of newspapers on religious conflicts tend to coincide with the views that are dominant in the areas where the newspapers are located, as well as that press coverage of religious crises is an important factor in the prolongation and intensity of such conflicts. A qualitative examination of the reportage of the sharia crisis by two Nigerian Newspapers was conducted. The study reveals that the New Nigeria, located in northern Nigeria had a pro-sharia stance in contrast to an anti-sharia perspective by the Nigerian Tribune, located in Southern Nigeria. It concluded that journalists are not neutral arbiters during religious conflicts in Nigeria and that press coverage of religious crises is an important factor in the prolongation and intensity of the crisis. It recommends that journalists should be trained to frame and define conflict situations in ways that create meeting points between conflicting sides. So also, policy makers should develop and enforce codes and ethics on conflict sensitive journalism so as to better manage religious conflicts and prevents its escalation in Nigeria.