Sexuality in Media: Emerging Issues in Africa - Africa Regional ...

Sexuality in the Media: Emerging Issues in Africa
reproductive health, 10% with sexual harassment, 6% with female genital
mutilation and 6% with relationships disappointments. The Comet, like The
Guardian by the choice of articles shows a deeper concern for sexual health.
This concern has much to do with the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
Issues of S/SH/SR could be found in all sections of the paper except the lead
positions . Popular columns were:
• Health
• Focus
• Down the Aisle
• Woman
• NGO's
• Opinion
• Comment
• Children
• Elements and Styles
• News
• Weekly news
around the world
• Foreign News
General Comments on the Quality of Publications
The majority of the articles were news items and reports. They provided
qualitative knowledge based information. They were educative and
enlightening. Though open and liberal, they were embedded in the traditional
norms, which tend to moralise and sometimes criminalise issues of S/SH/SR. It
does not seem that lack of knowledge affected the publications. These
publications and choice of stories was influenced largely by what the Editorial
Boards thought was important at the time.
Reader's letters and enquiries concerning issues of S/SH/SR show that there is a
desire to know more about these issues. That the majority of the reports focused
on issues concerning HIV/AIDS reflect a neglect of other equally important
issues of sexuality, sexual health and sexual rights. The lack of reports on sexual
rights portrays the lack of awareness about this important issue.
Analysis Of Issues Of S/SH/SR Published
HIV/AIDS
Table 5: Frequency of Newspaper Reports on HIV/AIDS
Themes
Reported
The Sun The Vanguard The Guardian The Punch The Comet
No. Of
Times
%
Print Media Coverage Of Sexuality Issues in Nigeria
No. Of
Times
%
Newspapers
No. Of
Times
No. Of
No. Of
% %
%
Times
Times
HIV/AIDS 9 8% 5 6% 31 45% 4 7% 16 31%
The publications on issues of S/SH/SR reflected the wider concerns about the
prevailing and threatening health problem of the day i.e. HIV/AIDS which
received the widest coverage. The Guardian reported on this issue 31 times
(45%) and The Comet 16 times (31%). These were the highest number of reports
on this issue. News items and reports were written to enlighten the populace on
the disease and the dangers of the disease. The aetiology of the disease, the
symptoms, available treatment, the modes of infection and the methods of
prevention of the disease were common in the reports (Guardian, 10.3.04: p10;
22.3.04: p65; Comet, 17.2.04: p28; 23.2.2004: p32). Some of the reports quoted
figures of the number of people living with the disease and it was described as a
time bomb in Nigeria (Vanguard, 14.1.04: Midweek Features). It was also
reported that about 7.3 million young women are living with HIV/AIDS in
Nigeria (Vanguard. 6.6.04: 4).
Most of the news reports were about the campaigns carried out by different
groups including government, institutions, religious organizations and nongovernmental
organisations, to stem the spread of the disease.
Since the disease is spread mostly through sexual intercourse among others, the
sexual culture of Nigerians which encourages multiple sex partners was always
called to question and condemned as the cause of the rapid spread of the disease.
Nigerians were called upon to reduce their sexual escapades,remain faithful to
their partners and be sexually responsible (Guardian, 25.04.2004: p32). Youths
were warned in many instances about the dangers of engaging in indiscriminate
sex. Sexual abstinence was always given as the most important means of
escaping the disease and ensuring a healthy future (Guardian, 3.5.04: p4; Punch,