Empirical Analysis of Factors Predicting Citizen Journalism Participation Among Nigerian University Students

Citizen journalism through social media platforms has created new forms of news production and distribution that challenge professional journalism gatekeeping, and understanding the factors that predict participation in citizen journalism activities among Nigerian university students is important for both press freedom and information quality scholarship. This study empirically analysed the predictors of citizen journalism participation among university students in South Nigeria. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 380 students across four universities in Lagos, Ibadan, Port Harcourt, and Calabar. Citizen journalism participation was operationalised as the frequency of reporting original news content through personal social media accounts, sharing eyewitness news, and creating journalistic video or photo content for public audiences. Predictor variables included news media literacy, trust in mainstream media, political interest, social media self-efficacy, and perceived civic duty. Binary logistic and multiple regression analyses were employed. Results showed that social media self-efficacy (OR 4.2; p < 0.001) and low trust in mainstream media (OR 2.8; p < 0.001) were the strongest predictors of active citizen journalism participation. News media literacy and political interest showed significant but weaker effects. Gender was not a significant predictor after controlling for social media self-efficacy. The study fills an empirical gap in Nigerian citizen journalism research, providing evidence that supports media literacy education as a tool for improving citizen journalism quality while also addressing trust deficits in professional news media. Keywords: citizen journalism, social media, news participation, Nigerian students, media trust