Analysis of the Impact of Catholic Newspapers on Social Cohesion of Persecuted Christians in North Central Nigeria, 2020–2025

References

[1] Aguolu, O. N. (2021). Church and society in Nigeria: The role of media in peacebuilding. Journal of Religion in Africa, 51(3), 245-267.

[2] Ajibola, I. G. (2024). Beyond conversational dialogue: Constructing a Catholic dialogical ethical model for multi-religious Nigeria. Religions, 15(7), 823. Crossref

[3] Akodu, P. (2025). Analysis of news presentaion patterns in three selected Catholic newspaper in Nigeria. Ianna Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, 7(1), 98-112.

[4] Anazaku, D. U. (2024). The ddemise of the early church in North Africa: Teaching lessons for the Contemporary Nigerian Church. African Journal of Religious and Theological Studies, 2(1), 173-186.

[5] Association, A. P. (2017). Ethical principles of psychologists and code of conduct. Retrieved from https://www.apa.org/ethics/code

[6] Bakhtin, M. M. (1981). The dialogic imaginations: Four essays. (M. Holquist, E. C, H. M, & Trans, Eds.) University of Texas Press.

[7] Buber, M. (1958). I and Thou (2 ed.). (G. S. R, & Trans, Eds.) Scribner (Original work published in 1923).

[8] Chi, E. H., Pirolli, P., Chen, K., & Pitkow, J. (2001). Using Information scent to model user needs and actions and the web. Proceedings of the SIGCHI conference on Human Factore in Computing Systems, (pp. 490-497). Crossref

[9] Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2018). Research design: qualitative and mixed methods approaches (5th ed.). Sage Publications.

[10] Daft, R. L., & Lengel, R. K. (1986). Organizational information requirements, media richness and structural design. Management Science, 32(5), 554-571. Crossref

[11] Danjuma, S. (2025, November 27). Retrieved from https://www.persecution.org

[12] Emenike, A. (2020). Religion, conflict, and media in Nigeria. International Journal of Religious Studies, 12(2), 88-105.

[13] Entman, R. M. (1993). Framing: Toward clarification of a fractured paradigm. Journal of Communication, 43(4), 51-58. Crossref

[14] Foss, S. K., & Griffin, C. L. (1995). Beyond persuasion: A proposal for an invitational rhetoric. Communication Monographs, 62(1), 2-18. Crossref

[15] Gindiri, Y. S. (2023). Impact of church persecution in Northern part of Nigeria. Journal of Relgion and Society, 4(2), 45-60.

[16] Hartley, E. (January 19, 2026). Nigeria accounts for 72% of Christian killings worldwide. EWTN Vatican News. Retrieved from https://www.vaticannews.va

[17] Horowitz, D. L. (2019). Ethnic groups in conflict. California: University of California press.

[18] Horowitz, D. L. (2019). Ethnic groups in conflict. (3rd, Ed.) California: University of California Press.

[19] Human Right Watch. (n.d.). They want us gone: Farmer-herder conflicts and displacement. HRW Report. Retrieved from https://www.hrw.org/report/2023/10/12/they-want-us-gone-farmer-herder-conflicts-and-displacement-nigeria

[20] International, O. D. (2025). World Watch List 2025: Trends in Christian persecution. Open Doors Analytical Unit.

[21] Iorapuu, T. (2019). Media and the gospel: A commentary on The Catholic Star. Aboki Publishers.

[22] Kaplan, A. M., & Haenlein, M. (2010). Users of the world, unite! The Challenges and Opportunities of Social Media. Business Horizons, 53(1), 59-68. Crossref

[23] Katz, E., Blumler, J. G., & Gurevitch, M. (1974). The uses of mass communicaty the individual from The uses of mass communications:Current Perspectives on gratification resaerch. (G. B. J, & K. E, Eds.) Sage.

[24] Kent, M. L., & Taylor, M. (1998). Building dialogic relationship through the World Wide Web. Public Relation Review, 24(3), 321-334. Crossref

[25] Kitchin, R. (2014). The data revolution: Big data, open data, data infrastructures and their consequences. Sage Publications.

[26] Kukah Center. (2024). Faith under fire: Religious identity and social cohesion in North Central Nigeria. Kukah Center.

[27] Law, I. S. (2023, April 10). Retrieved from https://www.intersociety-ng.org

[28] Lucero, S. (2022). The role of the Catholic press. Retrieved from https://www.cathstan.org/voices/the-role-of-the-catholic-press

[29] McAllister-Spooner, S. (2009). Fulfiling the dialogic promise : A ten -year review of dialogic intternet efficiency. Public Relations Review, 35(2), 155-157.

[30] News, V. (2023, April 11). Retrieved from https://www.vaticannews.va/en/church/news/2023-04/over-50000-christians-killed-in-nigeria-by-islamist-extremists.html

[31] Nigeria, C. B. (2024). Pastoral letter on peace and security during elections. CBCN Secretariat.

[32] Odo, D. O. (2025). Job 9:17-18 read through the lens of resilience for the Christian community in Benue State, Nigeria. Verbum et Ecclesia, 46(1).

[33] Olorunnisola, A. A. (n.d.). Freedom of expression in Nigeria: Challenges and opportunities. Nigeria Law Journal, 40(4), 55-70.

[34] Onah, C. N. (2018). Christianity and conflict resolution in Nigeria. Journal of Religion in Africa, 48(1), 45-68.

[35] Opaade, A. (2025). A critical analysis of newspapernarratives on Christian persecution & excllusion in Northern Nigeria. African Journal of Media Studies, 12(3), 115-130.

[36] Pirolli, P., & Card, S. (1999). Information foraging. Psychological Review, 106(4), 643-675. Crossref

[37] Reicher, S., Haslam, S. A., & Hopkins, N. (n.d.). Social identity and the dynamics of leadership: Leaders and followers as transformative agents. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1251(8), 10-23.

[38] Shoemaker, E., & Stremlau, N. (2014). Media and conflict: An assessment of the evidence. Progress in Development Studies, 14(2), 181-195.

[39] Sommerfeldt, E. J., & Yang, A. (2017). Notes on a dialogue of the deaf: How to optimize-public network structurres condition internal and external communication. Journal of Public Relations Research, 29(1), 3-20. Crossref

[40] Tajfel, H., & Turner, J. C. (1979). An intergrative theory of intergroup conflict. In G. A. W, & W. S, The social psychology of inetrgroup relations (pp. 33-47). Books and Cole.

[41] ThisDay. (2025, June 2). Use media to promote peace, unity, Catholic Church tells Nigerians. Retrieved from https://www.thisdaylive.com

[42] Thuenissen, P., & Wan Noordin, W. N. (2012). Revisiting the concept of "dialogue" in public relations. Public Relations Review, 38(1), 5-13. Crossref

[43] Udeze, S. E., & Uzuegbunam, C. E. (2013). The Nigerian Press, social media and the coverage of the Boko Haram crisis. Journal of Media and Communication Studies, 5(2), 1-10.

[44] Watch, H. R. (n.d.). "They want us gone": Farmer-herder conflicts and displacement in Nigeria. HRW Report.

[45] Yamamoto, M. (2011). Community newspaper use promotes social cohesion. Newspaper Research Journal, 32(1), 19-33. Crossref

[46] Entman, R. (1993). Framing: toward clarification of a fractured paradigm. Journal of Communication (43), 51-58. Crossref

@article{1722924,
      author = {Anthony Adetayo},
      title = {Analysis of the Impact of Catholic Newspapers on Social Cohesion of Persecuted Christians in North Central Nigeria, 2020–2025},
      journal = {Iconic Research And Engineering Journals},
      year = {2026},
      volume = {10},
      number = {3},
      pages = {1096-1111},
      issn = {2456-8880},
      url = {https://www.irejournals.com/formatedpaper/1722924.pdf},
      abstract = {North Central Nigeria popularly described as Middle Belt, over the recent years has experienced escalating religious crisis and violence, which has affected the Christian communities. Attacks have come from bandits, armed militia, Fulani herdsmen and Islamic extremists (Open Doors, 2025; ACN, 2025). Research has shown that Nigeria has recorded over 3,100 Christians killed and 2,830 Christians kidnapped in 2024 alone (Open Doors, 2025). The various attacks on Christian communities have not only destroyed church buildings and other structures of worship, but they have also scattered many Christian groups, turning survivors into internally displaced persons (Intersociety, 2023). This leads to the fragmentation of social structures of the communities. Gindiri (2023) affirms that persecution leads to elevated and insidious type of displacement leaving the community scattered and desolated. Scholars like Craig and Nurmalanga, (2006); Entman, (1994) affirm that “the way and manner in which the media report religious crisis or persecution affects the prolongation or early resolution of such conflicts.},
      month = {September},
      doi = {https://doi.org/10.64388/IREV10I3-1722924}
  }