By Abubakar Suleiman

The headline used by Channels TV here lies at the core of media framing, where a message or piece of information is presented to the public or an audience in a way that influences how it is processed. It is essentially a form of perception control.

Follow me: The bomb blast happened in Maiduguri yesterday and in a mosque, and the victims were Muslims. However, Channels TV chose to headline the story by removing the place and the victims of the heinous attack, replacing them with “Christmas Eve.” Just read the headline:  “Many feared Dead as Bomb Blast Rocks Maiduguri On Christmas Eve”

Yes, it is true that the bomb blast happened on Christmas Eve, but the presentation of the headline controlled the perception of the targeted audience and eroded the victims of any mention, identity, or dignity. The exact place where the bomb blast happened — a mosque — also does not matter, because it does not fit into the narrative of Reverend Dachomo, which advances the “Christian genocide” propaganda.

Though, in retrospect, I do not blame Channels TV. When the Arab world grew tired of skewed and silenced narratives, massive propaganda, double standards, and hypocrisy from the likes of Fox News, the BBC, and CNN, they did not stop at complaining; they established competent and reliable broadcast media and employed credible journalists to present their stories. Chinua Achebe puts it better: “Until the goats learn to write their own history, the history of the hunt will always glorify the hunter.”

Even if Nigerians choose to live in peace with one another regardless of religion, region, or ethnicity, the Nigerian media will always find a way to sow the seeds of hatred and discord. You know why? Because fear sells much faster and more easily than hope, or than the effort required to deliver a nuanced message.

Anyway, I hope Channels TV will do better next time because all we wanted is, to quote Ben Affleck: “We just want to eat our sandwiches, go about our lives, mind our own business, without being targeted, demonized, or expected to condemn things that have nothing to do with us.”