Assessing News Coverage of Legislative Transparency and Legislative Voting Patterns in Nigeria

Abstract

This study examines the depth and transparency of legislative news reporting in Nigeria, focusing on the availability of individual voting records. Through a quantitative content analysis of 437 articles from Leadership, The Cable, Nigerian Tribune, and Vanguard, the research evaluates how media outlets report on National Assembly proceedings. The study found a major transparency gap because media organizations report 100% of legislative outcomes but they completely fail to show individual lawmaker voting records. The statistical analysis with Chi-Square testing shows that both print and digital formats demonstrate the same shallow content problem. The logistic regression results show that original reporter work together with opposition participation activities deliver deeper contextual understanding which fails to make up for missing voting records that institutions choose not to document. The current reporting system protects MPs from being held personally accountable according to study findings which recommend that the National Assembly adopt open electronic voting systems so media organizations can perform their democratic monitoring role.