A PRAGMATIC STUDY OF PHOTO NEWS REPORTS ON THE ABDUCTED CHIBOK GIRLS IN NIGERIA

IBRAHIM OMOLABI, MUHIDEEN OLA DUROSIMI

Abstract

The use of news photos is becoming very prominent because it is capable of presenting the news story or situation live and able to generate diverse interpretations. The study explores the various pragmatic acts performed in visual news reports on the abducted Chibok girls in Nigeria, especially the construction of acts or meaning through visual codes. The study drew insight from Mey (2001) aspects of Pragmatic acts and Hoye and Kaiser’s (2007) visual acts as the theoretical framework underpinning the study. A total of eight (8) visual news reports relating to the stories of the abducted Chibok girls were purposively selected from two Nigerian newspapers (Guardian & Dailytrust) and analysed from the points of pragmatic acts and visual acts theories. The study revealed that pictures are capable of performing many of the same complex pragmatic acts of urging, indicating, condemning, accusing, protesting, challenging, wearing, shaming which are often suggested in the picture captions. The study also revealed that visual representation in Nigerian newspaper is far from being straightforward. It goes beyond choosing and placing specific photographs forgetting readers’ attention, or for authenticating verbal reports. Some pragmatic acts are craftily performed through the pictures and they are meant to surreptitiously control readers’ evaluation, opinion and action about the news report on the abducted Chibok girls.

Full Text:

PDF

References

Bignell, J. Media semiotics: an introduction. Manchester: Manchester press, 1997.

Barret, A.W. and Barrington, L.W. Is a picture worth a thousand words?: Newspaper photographs and voter evaluations of political candidates. The Harvard International Journal of Press/Politics 10 (4),( 2005): 98-113, 2005.

Economou, D. Photo in the News: Appraisal Analysis of Visual Semiosis and Verbal- Visualintersemiosis. Unpublished doctoral thesis, University of Sydney, 2009.

Hoye, Leo Francis and Kaiser, Ruth. Branding a symbol: context and meaning across cultures. Intercultural Pragmatics 4.1. 51-69 2007.

Igwebuike, Ebuka, Taiwo, Abioye and Lily, Chimunaya, ‘A Pragma-semiotic analysis of “Occupy Nigeria Group†Online posts on the 2012 fuel subsidy removal in Nigeria’. Journal of Visual Literacy 35(3); 201 – 214, 2016.

Jacobs, R. N. Producing the news; producing the crisis: narrativity, television, and newswork. Media, Culture, and Society 18: 373-397, 1996.

Jewitt, C and Oyama, R. Visual meaning: a social semiotic approach in V.T Leeuwen and Jewiit, C. (Eds.). Handbook of visual analysis. London: Sage Journal of language and social psychology 28 (3): 244-263, 2001.

Kress, G. and van Leeuwen, T. Reading images: the grammar of visual design. London: Routledge. Language and Style. 21(3): 259-269, 1996.

KaIb, M. and Saivetz, C. The Israeli-Hezbollah war of 2006: the media as a weapon in asymmetrical conflict. The Harvard International Journal of Press/Politics. 12. (3): 4366, 2007.

Mey, Jacob. Pragmatics: an introduction. Oxford: Blackwell Publishers, 2001.

Morris, M. Interpretability and social power, or, why post-modern advertising works. Media, Culture, and Society 27. (5): 697-718, 2005.

Ogungbe, Ebenezer. Oluseun. Pragmatic acts in the News Reports of Some Nigerian Newspapers, 2012.

Perimutter, D.D. (In)visible evidence: pictorially enhanced disbelief in the Apollo moon landings’. Visual Communication 7.( 2): 229-251, 2008.

White, P. R .Telling media tales; the news story as rhetoric. Ph.D thesis. University of Sydney, 1998.

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.