📖 ABSTRACT/OVERVIEW
How China is represented in Nigerian online media shapes public understanding of one of Nigeria's most consequential bilateral relationships, yet systematic comparative analysis of framing patterns across Nigeria's diverse geopolitical zones is absent from the literature. This study conducts a comparative analysis of media framing of China in online news publications across all six Nigerian geopolitical zones. A content analysis design was adopted, examining 1,440 news articles published by twelve major online news platforms between January 2021 and December 2023, with two platforms per geopolitical zone. Articles were coded using an adapted frame analysis protocol identifying thematic frames, actor representation, evaluative tone, and issue emphasis. Results reveal significant regional variation in framing patterns. Economic opportunity frames predominate in North West and North Central zone publications, reflecting these regions' commercial interface with Chinese investors. Critical governance and sovereignty frames are more prominent in South West and South East publications. North East publications show the lowest volume of China-related coverage overall. Positive framing of China is strongly correlated with Chinese infrastructure investment presence in the publication's primary readership region. The study makes an original contribution to the Nigerian China-media literature by providing zone-level comparative data and recommends that Chinese Studies curricula incorporate regional media literacy as a component of understanding how China-Nigeria relations are differently experienced across Nigeria's diverse political geography.
Keywords: media framing, China coverage, Nigerian online news, comparative analysis, geopolitical zones
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