Media Framing of Nigeria’s Foreign Policy in National Newspapers: A Content Analysis

This study examines how Nigeria's leading national newspapers frame the country's foreign policy activities, assessing the dominant narratives, sources, and editorial perspectives that shape public understanding of Nigerian diplomacy. Newspapers remain influential in shaping elite and civil society discourse on foreign affairs in Nigeria despite growing competition from digital platforms. Drawing on framing theory and agenda-setting theory, this research analyses the foreign policy coverage of three national newspapers, namely The Punch, This Day, and Vanguard, over a twelve-month period from January to December 2023. The study employs a quantitative content analysis methodology, coding a systematically selected sample of articles for frame type, source attribution, issue focus, and evaluative tone. Secondary qualitative document analysis of editorial positions on key foreign policy events supplements the quantitative analysis. The research pays attention to coverage of major events including the Niger coup response, AfCFTA developments, and Nigeria's UNSC interactions. It is anticipated that findings will reveal predominantly critical and event-driven coverage of Nigerian foreign policy, with limited structural or analytical framing and an over-reliance on official government sources. The study contributes to the political communication literature on media and foreign policy in developing democracies. Keywords: media framing, foreign policy, Nigeria, content analysis, newspapers.