A Descriptive Analysis of Audience Engagement by Nigerian Journalists

Abstract

There is a renewed interest in how journalists engage with their audience because of the multi-dimensional benefits such interaction holds for the news media. The current study, therefore, examined how Nigerian journalists conducted audience engagement. The study surveyed 308 journalists in Nigeria. Data gathered were analysed using frequency and percentage, mean and standard deviation as well as regression analysis. The study found that journalists' role conception accounted for the highest variation (29.4%) in production-oriented audience engagement behaviour of journalists. This was followed by control variables accounting for 13.5% of the variance in production-oriented audience engagement. On the other hand, control variables had the highest influence on the reception-oriented audience engagement behaviour (29.5%) whereas attitude towards audience engagement behaviour had no significant influence on the reception-oriented audience engagement behaviour. Gender was found to have no significant influence on both production and reception-oriented audience engagement behaviour. The implications of the finding for Nigerian journalism were discussed.