Abstract

This study investigated readers’ perception of photographic representation of the August 6, 2017 massacre at St. Philip’s Catholic Church, Ozubulu, Anambra State, Nigeria. Situated within the uses and gratifications theory, the study adopted a triangulation of survey and Focus Group Discussion methods. For the survey a sample of 400 was derived from residents of Anambra State using the multi-stage sampling technique while two focus group discussions of six participants each were held. A structured questionnaire and an FGD guide were employed as instruments of data collection. Findings showed that newspaper readers in Anambra State were significantly exposed to photographs on the Ozubulu church massacre and that they utilized the photographs for the purpose of verifying the incident and as an alternative to reading the stories. The study also showed that readers were exposed to explicit scenes of violence and blood in the newspaper photographs. Thus, the study concluded that though photographic representation of the Ozubulu massacre in newspapers may have served usefully in illustrating and validating the news event and consequently satisfying the readers’ quest to know, newspaper gatekeepers should pay attention to ethical and legal considerations in their use of photographs particularly when violence and bloodletting are involved.

Key Words: ReadersPerception, Photographic Representation, Ozubulu Church Massacre, Violence

*Timothy Ekeledirichukwu Onyejelem is a Lecturer in the Department of Mass Communication, Madonna University, Okija, Nigeria and a Doctoral Candidate in the Department of Mass Communication, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Igbariam Campus, Anambra State, Nigeria

^AMCRON Journal of Communication and Media Research, Vol. 10, No. 2, October 2018:   91– 103