International Journal of Sub-Saharan African Research (IJSSAR)

Background: Child rights guarantee survival, development and protection for children. Child rights very essential, yet, the Nigerian child, including the one in Akwa-Ibom State still experiences multiple child labour and abuse-related issues. Newspapers operating in Akwa Ibom State carry advocacy reports against this societal ill, but there remains a knowledge gap on the level of coverage of child rights issues in those newspapers.
Objective: This study investigated newspaper representation of child rights issues in Akwa Ibom State and Uyo residents' perceptions of the subject-matter.
Method: A mixed-methods approach incorporating content analysis and survey was adopted. The content analysis method studied 53 editions across 312 newspaper issues from June 16, 2022, to June 16, 2023. The survey involved 351 respondents in Uyo, with a 95% response rate to measure individual perceptions. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics. Results: The findings show that child rights stories appeared in 17% of the publications, with Pioneer demonstrating the highest frequency at 8%. Communication about child rights was filtered through primarily inside sections since front-page visibility was rare. Protecting children was the primary focus among the analysed themes, occupying 28% of the coverage, whereas survival and development mattered less, with 19% and 27% coverage, respectively. According to survey results, a majority (72%) of respondents revealed that newspapers failed to raise sufficient public awareness, 70% of the respondents issued poor ratings for coverage quality.
Conclusion: Akwa Ibom newspapers demonstrate insufficient coverage of child rights and inadequate visibility, which demands stronger advocacy measures and better reporting techniques. Recommendation: To best protect children, we need standard, frequent child rights coverage, which should receive priority attention alongside stakeholder collaboration for advocacy.