‘65 year old man rapes, impregnates own teenage daughter’: Rape Representation in Two Nigeria Newspapers

Rape of females in Nigeria has reached a disturbing proportion. While the media has played a major role in creating awareness about rape, their representations of rape are crucial in determining post-rape responses. This study, therefore investigates newspaper coverage and representations of rape in two select newspapers in Nigeria (2012-2016). It utilizes two national dailies (The Punch and The Sun) with dedicated crime pages to understand the frequency of reportage, factors underlying low or non-reportage of rape by victims, and the dominant frame used in reporting rape. Findings show that 331 cases of rape were reported within the period with southwestern part of the country recording largest occurrence. Low or non-reporting behavior of rape by victims was affected by fear of stigma, fear of the rapist due to threats, religious sentiments, family interventions, and inability to access the media. The dominant frame utilized in reporting rape was human interest frame. The paper recommends diagnostic and prognostic frames to attract informed policies and give justice to the raped.