THE ROLE OF TELEVISION IN EDUCATING THE PUBLIC ON THE PREVENTIVE MEASURES AGAINST THE SPREAD OF CORONA VIRUS IN NIGERIA

THE ROLE OF TELEVISION IN EDUCATING THE PUBLIC ON THE PREVENTIVE MEASURES AGAINST THE SPREAD OF CORONA VIRUS IN NIGERIA

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.0 Background of the Study

When a disease epidemic occurs in a nation, it is the duty of the government, through the Ministry of Health, to respond to the situation by allocating sufficient funds, establishing facilities to contain the virus, and coordinating with other national and international health organizations. Organizations are required to raise public awareness about diseases through the media and other forms of communication by educating people about their causes, symptoms, and preventative and protective measures. The COVID-19 outbreak of Corona virus diseases required the same procedure for raising public awareness.

Unquestionably, the world was caught off guard and unprepared by the corona virus COVID-19 epidemic, leading the affected nation to endure severe dead crises as well as economic collapse, etc. The presence of the fatal corona virus, COVID-19, in Nigeria was formally established on February 27, 2020, following a virology test at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital on a suspected Italian man who had traveled to Nigeria from Milan on February 24, 2020, via Turkish Airlines.

Any issue-specific awareness program merely provides comprehensive information regarding the topic at hand.

The Nigeria Television Authority (NTA), one of the several channels with the legal obligation to transmit these information via television, is a significant medium for the public distribution of information. There are a lot of branches and substations operated by NTA nationwide. Television is an effective medium for disseminating knowledge, concepts, and ideas to both wide and niche audiences. It contributes significantly to achieving public health objectives.

The Nigeria Television Authority (NTA) has demonstrated exemplary performance over time in the areas of information dissemination, public education, and advocacy, particularly at important times and events. All television networks are required to create jingles, advertisements, and programming that will educate the public about the corona virus’ safety and prevention measures.

1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Awareness in the community of the risk factors for Corona infection and the preventative steps that people can take. In order to educate the public and aid in the prevention of new infections, the government, charitable organizations, Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs), and other agencies have created numerous awareness campaigns on the Corona virus. These campaigns include posting messages and jingles on radio and television stations as well as posters throughout communities.

Additional options include planning Corona-related seminars and workshops as well as going door-to-door to inform the public about how to handle the epidemic. Research is required for the various program awareness campaigns, such as jingles programs and weekly messages on information about Corona virus, carried out by the television broadcasting States at the Niger Delta region in order to raise the necessary awareness of Corona virus by NTA in the Niger Delta region.

1.3 OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY

The project will look at how television can inform the public about ways to stop the corona virus from spreading in Nigeria. It is focused toward:

1. To assess the various countermeasures to the corona
2. To investigate how television stations instruct viewers on how to prevent the spread of the corona virus
3. To assess the extent of television authorities’ involvement in educating the public about COVID-19 prevention measures

1.4 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The corpus of knowledge will benefit from the study as a whole. In particular, it will highlight the importance of encouraging regular awareness of COVID-19 preventive actions on government and privately held television stations. Media presenters will be able to design innovative and development-focused shows, ensuring that the corona virus propagation is kept to a minimum. It will arm the populace with firsthand knowledge about the necessity of adhering to safety measures as advertised on tv stations for their own health advantage as this will stop the corona virus from spreading.

1.5 RESEARCH QUESTION

1. What are the measures to prevent the spread of corona virus?

2. How does television station educate people on the preventive measures against to spread of corona virus?

3. What is involvement level of television authorities on educating the masses about covid-19 preventive measures?

1.6 SCOPE OF THE STUDY

The study is set to examine the role of television on Educating the Public on the Preventive measures against the spread of corona virus in Nigeria using Nigeria Television Authority (NTA) as a case study

1.7 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

Financial constraints – A researcher’s ability to find relevant materials, literature, or information and collect data efficiently is often hindered by a lack of funding (internet, questionnaire and interview).
Time restraint: The researcher will do this investigation together with other academic activities at the same time. As a result, less time will be spent on the research project. Time is another obstacle, as this research had to be completed concurrently with other academic assignments, making it impossible to conduct this study with a larger, more representative sample size.

1.8 DEFINITION OF TERMS:

Corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is characterized as an ailment brought on by the SARS-CoV-2 corona virus, a new strain of the corona virus.

Role: People in a social setting conceptualize a role as a set of connected behaviors, rights, obligations, beliefs, and standards.

Media refers to the communication channels via which we spread news, music, entertainment, education, advertising messages, and other data. The word media is the plural of the word medium. It comprises print and digital newspapers, magazines, billboards, radio, television, the Internet, fax machines, and telephone.

Television is an electronic system that transmits fleeting images of stationary or moving objects along with sound across a wire or through space using equipment that converts light and sound into electrical waves before reconverting them into audible sound and visible light beams.

Preventive measures are those that are taken to avoid contracting a disease rather than treating it. Preventative health measures include a range of actions that can be performed to stop or postpone the spread of a disease, as well as to lessen future exposure to it.