Perception of newspaper coverage of gender-based violence against male among married men in Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria

Abstract

Globally, gender-based violence is a social menace which has broken many marriages. Meanwhile, the mass media, especially the newspapers, are change agents championing the eradication of this menace. Newspapers inform people about the danger inherent in this social scourge. Meanwhile, scholars have examined  newspapers and gender-based violence from the viewpoints of female while the male perspective is more or less neglected. Hence, this study examines the perception of newspaper coverage of gender-based violence against married men in Ilorin, Kwara State. Individual differences theory serves as the theoretical lens underpins the study. Survey research method is adopted to gather data from 311 married men selected from Ilorin South Local Government Area of Kwara State. Data gathered were analysed with the aid of Statistical Package for Social Sciences. Frequency tables and simple percentages were used to present the findings. Findings, therefore, revealed that newspapers report gender-based violence against male. However, married men in Ilorin, Kwara State, perceived newspapers’ reports on gender-based violence against male as inaccurate, bias and sentiment as newspapers do not give detailed reports of the incidents compared to their female counterparts. The study concludes that the reportage has prompted married men to refrain themselves from any matrimonial argument that is confrontational in nature. The study, therefore, recommends that newspapers’ organisations should accord significance to gender-based violence against male in order to enlighten people about the danger inherent in the menace.