Thematic Analysis of Al-Jazeera Documentary, unrest forces farmers off their land, on Farmer-Herder Conflict in Nigeria
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Date
2025
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Metacommunication: Journal of Communication Studies
Abstract
The conflict between farmers and herders in Nigeria has, over time, impacted adversely on ethnic
tolerance, agriculture, source of livelihood, sheltering and lives of many. In the process, the media
have been noted to have exerted a great deal of influence on the perception of people on the array
of issues reported by the media. It is against this backdrop that this study sought to examine the
portrayal of Unrest forces farmers off their land, a documentary produced by Al Jazeera, on
specific themes portrayed in the documentary, government responsibility towards the conflict, the
portrayal of language in the documentary and to determine the consequences of the conflict
portrayed in the documentary. A qualitative content analysis was performed on the documentary
having determined the content categories. The study found that the documentary moderately
portrayed peace journalism, government’s inability to do enough in curbing the conflict between
farmers and herders, which affected the effectiveness and outcomes of the peace journalism. This
is akin to the notation that the media engagement of the conflicting parties, in order to allow them
to state their needs, wants and expectations from the other conflicting party and the government,
will go a long way in the settlement of the conflict. Therefore, the media are one of the
determinants of the escalation or de-escalation of conflict issues. The media should therefore
practice continuity in the ways by which they handle conflict issues and to contribute immensely
to conflict resolution, peace building of conflict-related issues, to prevent reprisal attacks. More
so, the conflict between farmers and herders would subside if government gives adequate attention
and act duly in resolving the conflict.
Description
Thematic Analysis of Al-Jazeera Documentary, unrest forces farmers off their land, on Farmer-Herder Conflict in Nigeria
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Citation
Bello,S., Subair, B.D., Yusuf, B.S. & Odukunle, A.O. (2025). Thematic Analysis of Al-Jazeera Documentary, unrest forces farmers off their land, on Farmer-Herder Conflict in Nigeria. Metacommunication: Journal of Communication Studies, Vol.10(1),pp.14-31.