Representation of the Igbo Diaspora in Nigerian English-Language Newspapers: A Framing Analysis

The Igbo diaspora, distributed across Nigerian urban centres and international destinations, represents a significant and growing demographic whose representation in national media discourse shapes both public perceptions and the community's own sense of identity and belonging within the Nigerian national project. This study analysed how the Igbo diaspora is framed in selected Nigerian English-language newspapers, focusing on the nature, frequency, and dimensions of coverage. The study was anchored on the Framing Theory as operationalised by Entman, which examines how media select and emphasise certain aspects of perceived reality to promote particular interpretive frameworks among audiences. A content analysis design was adopted, with a population comprising all diaspora-related articles published in The Guardian, ThisDay, and The Punch between 2022 and 2024. A purposive sample of 360 articles referencing the Igbo diaspora was coded for dominant frames, tone, source citation, topic category, and representation of diaspora contributions versus challenges. Findings indicated that economic remittance and conflict-related return migration frames dominated coverage, while cultural, intellectual, and advocacy contributions of the Igbo diaspora were significantly underrepresented. Coverage tone was predominantly neutral to positive when discussing economic contributions but shifted to negative framing in articles addressing diaspora political engagement or secessionist sympathies. The study concluded that Nigerian newspaper coverage presents a partial and economically reductive representation of the Igbo diaspora, neglecting the full range of diaspora contributions to Nigerian development. It was recommended that editors develop diaspora beat policies that broaden coverage to include cultural, intellectual, and civic dimensions of diaspora life.
Keywords: Igbo diaspora, media framing, Nigerian newspapers, content analysis, representation