This study investigated the agenda setting functions of the West African media in the early response coverage of COVID-19 and the extent of connection between the agenda setting roles and the reportage of the novel virus. Anchored on agenda setting theory, the study employed quantitative content, explication textual and collocation analyses to analyse 944

The Covid-19 pandemic created an atmosphere of global uncertainty that challenged established assumptions and ways of life. Amid the uncertainty, most people turned to mass and social media for updates, direction and, especially during lockdowns, companionship. An earlier study of the Kari-kasa community shows their total disdain for modernity including the mass media: radio, television and newspaper. The question then arises: was the Kari-kasa able to sustain this disdain during a pandemic that turned most people to the media? To what extent did the community uphold its aversion to modernity in the face of a crippling pandemic? Employing classical ethnographic field methods of focus group discussion (FGD), observation, in-depth and key informant interviews, this study established a reasonable level of Covid-19 awareness among the Kari-kasa members, some of whom seemed to be modifying their belief system to conform to social pressure. They largely declined Covid-19 safety rules believing it was not obligatory. The nature of their information-seeking behavior breeds information disorder and infodemic within their micro-community. The Kari-kasa appeared to be left behind in government efforts on Covid-19 containment communication interventions. It is therefore recommended that specific behavior change communication intervention be targeted at conservative marginal and hidden communities such as Kari-kasa just like it is for the Amish. Also, since Kari-kasa members exhibit ideological belief rather than behavioral belief explained in theory, behavior change interventions targeted at such groups should pay attention to this influential factor for the intervention to be compatible with their belief.

Since the onset of the new coronavirus, the mass media, across the globe, have continued to draw special attention to the disease by adopting different pragmatic and rhetoric strategies. In Nigeria for instance, the news media have continued to draw people's attention to the virus by using COVID-19 and coronavirus as synonymous lexical entities in the headlines of their news stories. These lexical choices are believed to have some influence on how the audience understand and seek information about the virus. However, existing studies in media and health communication have not copiously explored the relationship between the lexical choices by media to report the COVID-19 pandemic and people's information-seeking behaviour about the virus. This study was, therefore,

Fake news seems to be the monster of the century affecting continents of the world. From Africa to Asia, America to the Himalayas, the impact of fake news on national unity and regional cohesion remains debatable among scholars and experts. Like other countries on the African continent, Nigeria has tasted and is still having share of the consequences of fake news, especially politically-driven ones, which has been researched by scholars in the media and emerging technologies spaces. This study joins the conversation within the journalism and fake news discourse using big data that emerged from selected political, security, health and religious fake news reported by selected Nigerian newspapers. Adopting Computational and Quantitative Content Analyses with the specific use of Data Logging Approach for data collection, the study investigates the extent to which the Nigerian public consume and spread the select news at the expense of promoting national unity and regional cohesion expected of citizens, as established in the Nigerian constitution and existing rules guiding public communication in the country. The emerging results point towards the need for the establishment of Media Literacy Commission to complement the efforts of ministries saddled with the responsibility of re-orientating journalists, media establishments and citizens on national consciousness and unity. The outcomes of the study also indicate the need for overhauling of the National Orientation Agency (NOA) towards balanced and connected promotion of national values and norms.