Exposure, Awareness, and Interpretation of Labor Party’s Damage- Control Message on Arise News Among Youths in South-East Nigeria

Madumere Rose Chidinma; Oduh Obiageri Loretta

doi:10.56201/rjmcit.vol.12.no6.2026.pg8.19

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Exposure, Awareness, and Interpretation of Labor Party’s Damage- Control Message on Arise News Among Youths in South-East Nigeria

Madumere Rose Chidinma, Oduh Obiageri Loretta

Abstract

This study examined youths’ exposure, awareness, and interpretation of the Labour Party’s damage-control message aired on Arise News after the announcement of the 2023 presidential election result in Nigeria. The study was derived from a mixed-method project conducted among registered youth voters in the five states of South-East Nigeria. The population consisted of 8,180,701 registered youth voters, while a sample of 400 was allocated proportionately across Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Imo States; 380 valid questionnaire responses were analysed. Twenty-five youths also participated in focus group discussions. The study was guided by framing theory, social judgment theory, and uses and gratifications theory. Three hypotheses were tested using response distributions, weighted mean values, and one-sample chi-square tests. Findings showed high exposure to the Labour Party message, as 72% of respondents reported direct exposure and another 18% indicated probable exposure. Awareness was also high, with 66% stating that they were aware of the message and 20% indicating partial awareness. Respondents interpreted the message mainly as a call for legal redress, non-violence, calmness, and hope in the judiciary. Chi-square results confirmed significant dominance of exposure, awareness, and understanding responses. The paper concludes that carefully framed political communication during a contested electoral moment can produce interpretive clarity when it addresses the information needs and emotional expectations of an affected audience.

Keywords

Arise News; damage-control communication; election communication; framing; Labour Party; political communication; South-East Nigeria; youth voters

References

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Exposure, Awareness, and Interpretation of Labor Party’s Damage- Control Message on Arise News Among Youths in South-East Nigeria

Abstract

Keywords

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