AUTISM CAMPAIGNS IN THE NIGERIAN BROADCAST MEDIA: AUDIENCE AWARENESS AND INFLUENCE ON THE PERCEPTION OF AUTISTIC VICTIMS

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Angie Osarieme Igbinoba, Ifeoma Faith Kalu and Muyiwa Adeniyi Sholarin

Covenant University, Nigeria

: Int J Ment Health Psychiatry

Abstract

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This study examines how autism campaigns placed on the Nigerian broadcast media can create awareness and influence the perception people have of autism victims in Nigeria. The autism campaigns selected for the study were those carried out by the Patrick Speech Centre for Languages – an organisation for autism and people with learning disabilities – because the organisation has been in the fore front of autism awareness in the mass media. This study set out to discover: autism campaigns promoted in the Nigerian broadcast media; the different means of autism awareness; the influence of autism campaign on autism awareness and perception of autistic victims; and the level of exposure to autism campaigns. This study comprised a sample size of 81 survey participants; it was a combination of the simple random, purposive and cluster sampling techniques. The diffusion of innovations and perception theories were adopted in this study. Findings revealed that autism campaigns were actually promoted in the Nigerian broadcast media but have not, however, been successful in influencing autism awareness and the perception people have of autistic victims. They also showed a low level of exposure to autism campaigns among the survey participants. Part of the recommendations in this study was that autism campaign organisers should carry out thorough research on their target audience, message and communication medium before executing any campaign project while media professionals were urged to do more of autism awareness by setting agenda on autism and giving the issue prominence as this also helps to create awareness on autism.

Biography

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Angie holds professional qualifications as a Registered Integrated Marketing Communicator of Nigeria with the Certified Marketing Communications Institute of Nigeria (CMCIN) and an Associate Member of the Advertising Practitioners’ Council of Nigeria (APCON). She served as a cub reporter and interviewer with the print media organization known as New Nigeria Newspaper (NNN) Ltd in 2004; she also worked with the broadcast media organization known as Africa Independent Television (AIT), in 2008, where she was involved in preparing, proofreading and editing news reports for on-air transmission. Angie possesses the gift of gab with good writing and editing skills. Some of the undergraduate courses taught include speech communication & rhetoric, broadcast station management & programming, foundation of broadcasting, announcing & presentation, et cetera. She is an up-and-coming whiz kid in the field of Health Communication whose on-going Ph.D. research focuses on the mass media and safe motherhood.

Email: angie.osarieme@gmail.com