Electronic Media Reportage of the Physically Challenged Groups in Rural Communities. (The Case of Akwa Ibom State Broadcasting Television Service, Nigeria. Jan. 2015 to June 2015)
Akpan, Udo Usiere

Abstract
The World’s population is a combination of the physically strong, the weak and the disables otherwise referred to as the physically challenged. No matter the status, these individuals require effective communication within themselves and others to carry out daily actions, targets and expectations, since every minute of living depend on the availability of appropriate information, education and entertainment usually provided by media institutions. One of the most significant medium of communication that has created impact in the creation of awareness on activities and status conferment is the Television. But not all class of individuals fined ample projection in the eyes of the media, especially the television as a medium of communication. One of such class of persons that tends to be usually kept away from the screen of televisions is the physically challenged despite the large population constituted by the group in the society. The focus of this paper is to examine the level of reportage given to the physically challenged group of persons using the Akwa Ibom State Broadcasting Corporation (AKBC) television service as a case study between January and June 2015. The paper strives to answer research questions bordering on the frequency, prominence, and the category of stories from television news programmes given about the physically challenged found in the communities of Akwa Ibom State. Arising from it would be established if there is any significant prominence in the reportage of the physically challenged in Akwa Ibom State by the medium of television.

Full Text: PDF