Nathan O Emmanuel, Ph.D | National Open University of Nigeria (original) (raw)

Papers by Nathan O Emmanuel, Ph.D

Effect of Internet-mediated music therapy intervention on reduction in generalized anxiety disorder symptoms among displaced Nigerians of the Russia–Ukraine war

Psychology of Music

This study aimed to ascertain the usefulness of music therapy as an intervention for reducing the... more This study aimed to ascertain the usefulness of music therapy as an intervention for reducing the symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) among Nigerian students who were evacuated from Ukraine as a result of the Russia–Ukraine war. The researchers sampled 401 students who were enrolled in different degree programs in Ukraine but displaced due to the war. The researchers assigned 201 students to no music therapy group and 200 to a music therapy group. The evacuees from the music therapy group took part in 12 music therapy sessions delivered to them through an Internet-mediated platform (Zoom). The result of the study showed that before the music therapy treatment, participants in both groups reported severe anxiety. After the intervention, participants in the control group still reported severe anxiety (even though their score dropped slightly from 16.8 to 16.1). However, their counterparts in the music therapy group dropped significantly from severe to mild anxiety. During t...

Assessment of Journalism Trends and Practices in New Media Era

African Journalism Studies, 2018

An enduring democracy is anchored on a strong information base and media are seen as one of the m... more An enduring democracy is anchored on a strong information base and media are seen as one of the most important allies of the democratic process. However, media in Nigeria have been accused of being used as agents of misinformation through the disseminating of ideologically laden contents aimed at deceiving gullible members of the public. From pre-independence, through independence to the post-independence era, the story has been the same. In the era of social media, a period that is labelled as the "post-truth" era, misinformation within the media sphere is even more rife as the mainstream media, in collaboration with some elements within the social media arena, circulate outright lies, half-truths, hoaxes, propaganda, and all manner of fake news. this paper examines how a community of journalists and a community of media users in Nigeria perceive the post-truth era and identifies how media can be better positioned for their democratic roles at a time when people are rising against fact and truth.

New media and mass communication, 2017

Media and “Abhorrent” Profession: Portrayal of Sex Workers in a Patriarchal Nigerian Society

Journalism Practice

This study examines how sex workers are represented by news media in a male-dominated Nigerian so... more This study examines how sex workers are represented by news media in a male-dominated Nigerian society. Specifically, the study seeks to identify the different ways in which sex work, sex workers and their clients are constructed and examine how the news media orchestrate, coordinate and perpetuate male dominance through the portrayal of the sexuality of men and women. The study employed a qualitative method in the analysis of news contents from three news outlets in Nigeria. Data from the content analysis were triangulated with those from in-depth interviews with newsroom professionals and those generated through the documentary research method. The study found that sex work is constructed as a gendered profession, and the media help to systematically sustain the culture of hegemonic masculinity by re-echoing biased ascriptions between the women who provide sex services and the men who patronise these services. The study concludes that news media accentuate their power by pushing the women into deeper marginalisation through negative labelling and stereotyping. Such organised mediated victimisation of the women folks amplifies and perpetrates the male dominance. These findings have important theoretical and practical implications for overcoming discrimination and marginalisation of women in the society at both micro and macro levels.

Journalism Practice, 2022

Beyond classroom-newsroom gap: why do Nigerian students study journalism in the age of convergence?

Media Practice and Education, 2021

This study examines one of the most critical questions about journalism education by looking beyo... more This study examines one of the most critical questions about journalism education by looking beyond the quandary between the classroom and the newsroom while dwelling on the career expectations and choices of journalism students in the era of convergence when newsroom jobs are shrinking globally and when amateurs are contending with professional journalists in terms of contents production and distribution. The study triangulated both quantitative data generated from a sample of 292 final year students and qualitative data generated from in-depth interviews of six students drawn from six universities across Nigeria. This study found that although students noticed some gaps between the classroom and newsroom, Nigerian journalism students still found classroom experience valuable as the knowledge and skills acquired therein, assisted them in the discharge of their professional responsibilities during internship. However, while findings from studies reveal palpable evidences of media co...

MEDIA PRACTICE AND EDUCATION , 2021

This study examines one of the most critical questions about journalism education by looking beyo... more This study examines one of the most critical questions about journalism education by looking beyond the quandary between the classroom and the newsroom while dwelling on the career expectations and choices of journalism students in the era of convergence when newsroom jobs are shrinking globally and when amateurs are contending with professional journalists in terms of contents production and distribution. The study triangulated both quantitative data generated from a sample of 292 ﬁnal year students and qualitative data generated from in-depth interviews of six students drawn from six universities across Nigeria. This study found that although students noticed some gaps between the classroom and newsroom, Nigerian journalism students still found classroom experience valuable as the knowledge and skills acquired therein, assisted them in the discharge of their professional responsibilities during internship. However, while ﬁndings from studies reveal palpable evidences of media convergence of varying degrees within the media ecology in the country, journalism students in the country still hold ﬁrmly to the traditional conceptualisation of journalism, which constricts journalism jobs to radio, television, newspaper and magazine, suggesting a manifest conﬂict between the idealistic perception of journalism students and what journalism in Nigeria currently portends.

African Journalism Studies, 2018

An enduring democracy is anchored on a strong information base and media are seen as one of the m... more An enduring democracy is anchored on a strong information base and media are seen as one of the most important allies of the democratic process. However, media in Nigeria have been accused of being used as agents of misinformation through the disseminating of ideologically laden contents aimed at deceiving gullible members of the public. From pre-independence, through independence to the post-independence era, the story has been the same. In the era of social media, a period that is labelled as the “post-truth” era, misinformation within the media sphere is even more rife as the mainstream media, in collaboration with some elements within the social media arena, circulate outright lies, half-truths, hoaxes, propaganda, and all manner of fake news. This paper examines how a community of journalists and a community of media users in Nigeria perceive the post-truth era and identifies how media can be better positioned for their democratic roles at a time when people are rising against fact and truth.

Zaria Journal of Social Sciences, 2015

The 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa has been described as the most fatal and complex ever in t... more The 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa has been described as the most fatal and complex ever in the history of humanity. Using content analysis, this study examines how the Ebola disease was depicted in the Nigerian print media with emphasis on the nature of coverage, the sources quoted in the stories and the content direction which measures whether or not the stories are panic-inducing or reassuring. In this study, purposive random sampling was used to select 45 stories from the websites of the Daily Trust, Daily Sun, and Vanguard newspapers. The three newspapers are widely-circulated in Nigeria and they pre-eminently cover Northern, South-Eastern, and South-Western parts of the country, respectively. The study found that in terms of theme, the media devoted the largest portion (31.1 per cent) of their contents to the emotional responses of Nigerian towards the epidemic, while the success stories of Ebola recorded 24.5 per cent, while cases of Ebola and Ebola success stories recorded 11.1 per cent, each. In terms of sources quoted, official sources dominated (57.8 per cent), followed by alternative sources (17.8 per cent) and ordinary sources (6.6 per cent). The study also reveals that about five-out-of-ten stories on Ebola were panic-inducing while four-out-of-ten gave assurance and hope that Ebola could be curtailed and managed. This study therefore affirms that in time of moral panics when the hopes of the masses are uncertain, instead of pacifying the tension and fears, the mass media also contribute greatly in fuelling the crisis.

Internet has reinvented and redefined society; it has introduced a new culture, refurbished and r... more Internet has reinvented and redefined society; it has introduced a new culture, refurbished and reshaped the existing ones. This study is an assessment of new trends and practices in Nigerian media environment. Conducted within the context of mediamorphosis theory, the research used qualitative tools such as semi-structured interviews, direct-observation, while some secondary data from different sources were triangulated with the primary data in order to enhance the richness and trustworthiness of the findings. In terms of sampling, multiple-staged sampling method was adopted and this resulted in the selection of 15 media practitioners which were drawn from different media genres. The findings show that digital delivery of media contents has occupied superlative position in modern journalism practice in Nigeria and this has given birth to " non-media " social media influencers, such as celebrities, corporate organisations, who promote their brands through their various social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter, and Blogs, among others. Findings also reveal that there is a yawning gap between journalism practice and journalism education in Nigeria, as the newsroom is believed to be ahead of classroom. The study therefore recommends that if the ship of the fourth estate of the realm must not sink, the future journalism education must also involve professionals in the industry in teaching of journalism in journalism and mass communication institutions. This is because the potency of the next generation of journalism education can be measured by its ability to maximise opportunities and minimise the challenges associated with digital technologies.

Internet is one technology that has permeated every sphere of human endeavour, including communic... more Internet is one technology that has permeated every sphere of human endeavour, including communication, science and technology, telecommunication, education and health among others. However, no matter how useful, fantastic, appealing and gratifying a technology is, not everyone accepts it. The study evaluates how medical professionals in private hospitals in Anyigba, Kogi State, Nigeria integrate the use of Internet into their professional practice. Conducted within the framework of Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), the study employed both quantitative and qualitative methods, using questionnaire and interview schedule respectively to identify factors that precipitate both acceptance and rejection of Internet. The study found that 53% of medical professionals in Anyigba prefer Internet sources as against 20% and 17% who prefer journal/books and professional colleagues respectively. The study also found that health professionals use the Internet mainly to get professional updates (Mean =4.02, Stand Deviation = 1.58, Variance = 2.51), communicate with patients (Mean = 3.94, Standard Deviation = 1.55, Variance = 2.41). Others notable uses identified are for drugs/medication (Mean = 3.77, Standard Deviation = 1.39, Variance = 1.94), monitor trends of diseases (Mean = 3.58, Standard Deviation = 1.75, Variance = 3.05) among other uses. Cost, relevance of information to professional practice, skills on how to use the technology and how readily accessible are the sources, are factors that influence acceptance and/or rejection of a possible information source. The study recommends that health professionals should promote capacity building for both younger and older practitioners on how best to employ Internet-based applications for medical practice.

The 2015 Global Terrorism Index (GTI) indicates that Boko Haram, which majorly operates in Nigeri... more The 2015 Global Terrorism Index (GTI) indicates that Boko Haram, which majorly operates in Nigeria, has overtaken ISIL and has become the most dreadful terrorist group in the world, a figure that has placed Nigeria on the world map as the most terrorised country. This study is a critical evaluation of foreign media coverage of Boko Haram insurgency, using media framing as a theoretical framework. A qualitative content analysis was conducted on stories about Boko Haram that appear on the websites of two leading international broadcast media organisations – BBC and Aljazeera. In this study, twelve stories each were sampled from the BBC and Al-Jazeera websites using purposeful random sampling. The study found that BBC framing of Boko Haram insurgency took stereotypic dimension of age-long and deep-rooted narratives of western media that associate Islam with barbarism, killing, suicide-bombing, fanaticism, extremism, and terrorism. Al-Jazeera posture on Boko Haram coverage on the other hand, tends to counter the stereotypic disposition and dominant narratives of western media by establishing the fact that there are " good " Muslims who are committed to propagating peace in the multi-religious society. The findings further expose how western media capitalise on the socioeconomic and political failures of African countries to influence the political and economic bearings of these nations. Unlike Al-Jazeera that appeared fair to both the ruling and the opposition parties, the BBC tend to confer the status of competence on the opposition party by continuously portraying the ruling party as grossly incompetent in tackling the menace of Boko Haram. The study recommends that BBC and other foreign media should be more balanced in its reportage of terrorism in foreign countries by downplaying on the religious status of perpetrators. This is because, when all Muslims are labelled as terrorists, the sympathy the world deserves from " good " Muslims when tackling terrorism would diminish, naturally.

The 2015 Global Terrorism Index (GTI) indicates that Boko Haram, which majorly operates in Nigeri... more The 2015 Global Terrorism Index (GTI) indicates that Boko Haram, which majorly operates in Nigeria, has overtaken ISIL and has become the most dreadful terrorist group in the world, a figure that has placed Nigeria on the world map as the most terrorised country. This study is a critical evaluation of foreign media coverage of Boko Haram insurgency, using media framing as a theoretical framework. A qualitative content analysis was conducted on stories about Boko Haram that appear on the websites of two leading international broadcast media organisations -BBC and Aljazeera. In this study, twelve stories each were sampled from the BBC and Al-Jazeera websites using purposeful random sampling. The study found that BBC framing of Boko Haram insurgency took stereotypic dimension of age-long and deep-rooted narratives of western media that associate Islam with barbarism, killing, suicide-bombing, fanaticism, extremism, and terrorism. Al-Jazeera posture on Boko Haram coverage on the other hand, tends to counter the stereotypic disposition and dominant narratives of western media by establishing the fact that there are "good" Muslims who are committed to propagating peace in the multi-religious society. The findings further expose how western media capitalise on the socio-economic and political failures of African countries to influence the political and economic bearings of these nations. Unlike Al-Jazeera that appeared fair to both the ruling and the opposition parties, the BBC tend to confer the status of competence on the opposition party by continuously portraying the ruling party as grossly incompetent in tackling the menace of Boko Haram. The study recommends that BBC and other foreign media should be more balanced in its reportage of terrorism in foreign countries by downplaying on the religious status of perpetrators. This is because, when all Muslims are labelled as terrorists, the sympathy the world deserves from "good" Muslims when tackling terrorism would diminish, naturally.

Social media culture has become one of the dominant cultures in 21st century. While there are div... more Social media culture has become one of the dominant cultures in 21st century. While there are divergent views about the significance of this technology, one thing
is most definite – the youths, especially university students have incorporated the use of social media into their daily routine. This study evaluates the manner of
interaction within the virtual community centres (social networking sites) and examines students’ perception of this emerging technology. The study, conducted in
Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, a metropolitan university in Nigeria, surveyed 262 students out of which 120 (45.8%) and 110 (42%) were first and final year
students respectively. The study, conducted within the theoretical ambience of mediamorphosis, found that most students use social media more to connect with
their existing relationships than using it to create new relationships. In this regard, social networking could be described as an extension of face-to-face
communication, a situation where old and new media live in mutual coexistence without abolishing the old ones. The study also revealed that mobile phone
constitutes the most popular means through which the students access social media. Perceived negative effects of social networking as revealed by the study are
time wastage, invasion of privacy, addiction and promotion of social vices.

Thesis Chapters by Nathan O Emmanuel, Ph.D

Effect of Internet-mediated music therapy intervention on reduction in generalized anxiety disorder symptoms among displaced Nigerians of the Russia–Ukraine war

Psychology of Music

Assessment of Journalism Trends and Practices in New Media Era

African Journalism Studies, 2018

New media and mass communication, 2017

Media and “Abhorrent” Profession: Portrayal of Sex Workers in a Patriarchal Nigerian Society

Journalism Practice

Journalism Practice, 2022

Beyond classroom-newsroom gap: why do Nigerian students study journalism in the age of convergence?

Media Practice and Education, 2021

MEDIA PRACTICE AND EDUCATION , 2021

This study examines one of the most critical questions about journalism education by looking beyo... more This study examines one of the most critical questions about journalism education by looking beyond the quandary between the classroom and the newsroom while dwelling on the career expectations and choices of journalism students in the era of convergence when newsroom jobs are shrinking globally and when amateurs are contending with professional journalists in terms of contents production and distribution. The study triangulated both quantitative data generated from a sample of 292 ﬁnal year students and qualitative data generated from in-depth interviews of six students drawn from six universities across Nigeria. This study found that although students noticed some gaps between the classroom and newsroom, Nigerian journalism students still found classroom experience valuable as the knowledge and skills acquired therein, assisted them in the discharge of their professional responsibilities during internship. However, while ﬁndings from studies reveal palpable evidences of media convergence of varying degrees within the media ecology in the country, journalism students in the country still hold ﬁrmly to the traditional conceptualisation of journalism, which constricts journalism jobs to radio, television, newspaper and magazine, suggesting a manifest conﬂict between the idealistic perception of journalism students and what journalism in Nigeria currently portends.

African Journalism Studies, 2018

An enduring democracy is anchored on a strong information base and media are seen as one of the m... more An enduring democracy is anchored on a strong information base and media are seen as one of the most important allies of the democratic process. However, media in Nigeria have been accused of being used as agents of misinformation through the disseminating of ideologically laden contents aimed at deceiving gullible members of the public. From pre-independence, through independence to the post-independence era, the story has been the same. In the era of social media, a period that is labelled as the “post-truth” era, misinformation within the media sphere is even more rife as the mainstream media, in collaboration with some elements within the social media arena, circulate outright lies, half-truths, hoaxes, propaganda, and all manner of fake news. This paper examines how a community of journalists and a community of media users in Nigeria perceive the post-truth era and identifies how media can be better positioned for their democratic roles at a time when people are rising against fact and truth.

Zaria Journal of Social Sciences, 2015

The 2015 Global Terrorism Index (GTI) indicates that Boko Haram, which majorly operates in Nigeri... more The 2015 Global Terrorism Index (GTI) indicates that Boko Haram, which majorly operates in Nigeria, has overtaken ISIL and has become the most dreadful terrorist group in the world, a figure that has placed Nigeria on the world map as the most terrorised country. This study is a critical evaluation of foreign media coverage of Boko Haram insurgency, using media framing as a theoretical framework. A qualitative content analysis was conducted on stories about Boko Haram that appear on the websites of two leading international broadcast media organisations -BBC and Aljazeera. In this study, twelve stories each were sampled from the BBC and Al-Jazeera websites using purposeful random sampling. The study found that BBC framing of Boko Haram insurgency took stereotypic dimension of age-long and deep-rooted narratives of western media that associate Islam with barbarism, killing, suicide-bombing, fanaticism, extremism, and terrorism. Al-Jazeera posture on Boko Haram coverage on the other hand, tends to counter the stereotypic disposition and dominant narratives of western media by establishing the fact that there are "good" Muslims who are committed to propagating peace in the multi-religious society. The findings further expose how western media capitalise on the socio-economic and political failures of African countries to influence the political and economic bearings of these nations. Unlike Al-Jazeera that appeared fair to both the ruling and the opposition parties, the BBC tend to confer the status of competence on the opposition party by continuously portraying the ruling party as grossly incompetent in tackling the menace of Boko Haram. The study recommends that BBC and other foreign media should be more balanced in its reportage of terrorism in foreign countries by downplaying on the religious status of perpetrators. This is because, when all Muslims are labelled as terrorists, the sympathy the world deserves from "good" Muslims when tackling terrorism would diminish, naturally.