The Power of Storytelling: Utilisation of Narrative Techniques in Advocacy Journalism in Raising Awareness about Maternal Health in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.59890/ijatss.v3i4.9Keywords:
Story Telling, Utilisation, Narrative Technique, Advocacy Journalism, Journalism, Awareness, Maternal Health, Health, Akwa Ibom StateAbstract
The fact remains that social revolutions around the world would not have taken place without any responsive media coverage. Also, a responsible media coverage would not have taken place without active media advocacy. The synergy of the above is what laid the setting for this study, which sets out to examine the power of storytelling: Utilisation of narrative techniques in advocacy journalism in raising awareness on maternal health issues in Akwa Ibom State. The research objectives of the study were to: examine the different narrative techniques used in advocacy journalism in raising awareness on maternal health issues in Akwa Ibom State; identify the primary elements/ story telling techniques used in advocacy journalism in raising awareness on maternal health issues in Akwa Ibom State; investigate the effectiveness of the narrative techniques used in advocacy journalism in raising awareness on maternal health issues in Akwa Ibom State; evaluate audience reception of maternal health campaign messages in Akwa Ibom State through advocacy journalism. A qualitative research method was adopted for the study, and a review of various concepts, scholarly opinions, and related empirical studies was conducted. Media advocacy and media dependency theories served as the theoretical frameworks for the study. The study concluded that the use of storytelling in advocacy journalism enables journalists to go beyond mere reporting of statistics and facts and instead, create a connection with the audience that is personal and relatable. The study revealed that to achieve maximum impact of stories employed for advocating for maternal healthcare within Akwa Ibom State, there is a need to contextualise various views and voices within the narrative
References
Adeyemo, F., & Akintayo, B. (2019). Socioeconomic determinants of maternal healthcare services in Nigeria. Journal of Public Health in Africa, 10(2), 76-85
Adebayo, N. (2014). The role of mass media in public health. American Journal of Public Health, (5), pp. 151 - 223.
Alli, A. M. (2016). The Role of advocacy journalism in promoting democracy and good governance in Nigeria. International Journal of Communication, 10, 1223-1237
Asemah, S. (2011). Selected mass media themes. Jos: University Press
Ashraf, P. (2013). The role of media in good governance: Paid news culture of media and the challenges to India democracy. International Research Journal of Social Research, 3 (3), pp. 41-43.
Bassey, U., et al. (2019). From crisis to action: Framing maternal health advocacy in Akwa Ibom State. International Journal of Medical Advocacy, 7(4), 215-230.
Bednarek, M. (2019). Picturing climate change: Explaining the visual framing of climate change in US newspapers. Climatic Change, 156(1-2), 129-144.
Ball-Rokeach, S. J., & DeFleur, M. L. (1976). A dependency model of mass-media effects. Communication Research, 3(1), 3-21.
Benesch, K. (2018). Framing protests: When journalism and social media converge. Journalism Studies, 19(16), 2363-2380.
Bell, E. (2018). Storytelling as advocacy: The power of narrative in the making of catastrophic health news. Health Communication, vol. 33, no. 9, 2018, pp. 1143-1153
Bryant, L. (2016). Refugee images: The power of emotion in visual framing. Journalism Practice, 10(7), 956-971.
Boykoff, M. T., & Goodman, M. K. (2009). Conspicuous redemption? Reflections on the promises and perils of the ‘celestials’. Third World Quarterly, 30(4), 693-707.
Chloe, T. (2023). How we should govern housing markets in a moral policial economy? Dacdal US Journal of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences: Creating a new moral political economy. Vol. 152 No. 1.
Dauda, G., & Adeyemi, G. (2018). Community development advocacy in Nigeria: The roles of civil society organizations. Journal of Political Science and Public Affairs, 6(3), 280.
Dahiru, T., & Oche, O. M. (2013). Determinants of antenatal care, institutional delivery and postnatal care services utilization in Nigeria. Public Health, 132(6), 305-311.
Eke, C., Oke, M. M., Bufumoh, A. A., & Apata, T. (2023). National newspaper coverage of health issues in Niger Delta, Nigeria. IMSU Journal of Communication Studies, 7(1), 241-254. https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:0168-ssoar-88497-8
Ekott, I. (2020). "Community Stories: Voices on Maternal Health in Akwa Ibom State." This Day Newspaper. Retrieved from https://www.thisdaylive.com/community-stories-voices-on-maternal-health-in-akwa-ibom-state/
Enobakhari, J. O. & Nyekwere, E. O. (2012). The role of advocacy journalism in promoting good corporate governance in Nigeria. Journal of Linguistics and Communication Studies, Port Harcourt: University of Port Harcourt Press Limited. 2(1) 27 - 31.
Esan, D. T., Mogaji, S. T., & Lanre, T. (2019). Investigative journalism and maternal health advocacy in Nigeria: A study of The Cable newspaper. Journal of Media Ethics, 31(3), 143-158.
Folayan, O., et al. (2018). Visualizing maternal health data in Akwa Ibom State: A Case Study. Journal of Public Health Communication, 12(3), 127-142.
George, L. (2020). The power of personal narratives: Using storytelling to raise awareness on maternal health issues. Journal of Advocacy Journalism, 14(2), 45-62.
Grady, C. (2018). #Me Too is still changing the world. Vox. Retrieved from https://www.vox.com/identities/2018/10/15/17967268/metoo year-later-movement-weinstein-kavanaugh-nbc
Hamidu, A. (2017). The Nigerian woman: Reducing maternal mortality. Journal of Public Health in Africa, 8(1), 675.
Hess, S. (2011). The rise of advocacy journalism. Columbia Journalism Review, 50(2), 40-44
Hernandez, M., & Wagner, C. (2015). Visual storytelling in advocacy journalism: A case study of maternal health documentaries in Nigeria. Visual Communication Quarterly, 21(4), 189-204
Iyaniwura, C. A., Yussuf, Q. A., & Akinyemi, O. J. (2016). Health care financing in Nigeria: Implications for achieving universal health coverage. Journal of Health Management, 18(3), 287-297
Ilo, M. A. (2017). Advocacy journalism and maternal mortality reduction in Nigeria: A case study of Premium Times. African Journalism Studies, 38(1), 146-162.
Johnson, M. (2020). Behavior change communication in maternal health campaigns: A review of effective strategies. Health Communication Research, 27(2), 89-105
Kugbe, J., & Obi, C. (2020). Advocacy as a tool for enhancing good governance in Nigeria. International Journal of Social Science and Human Behavior Study, 2(3), 116-127.
Kogbara, C. (2020). Advocacy Journalism in Nigeria: A Case Study of the Fight against Corruption. Journal of Media Ethics, 26(3), 210-225.
Kinnvall, C. (2018). The emotional politics of storytelling: Re-encountering the other in a posmigration society. European Journal of International Relations, 24(4), 846-870.
Kozloff, N. (2019). "The ethical dilemmas of advocacy journalism." Columbia journalism Review, 27 Aug. 2019, https://www.cjr.org/the_feature/ethics-advocacy-journalism.php.
Lin, A., Myrick, J., & Kast, K. (2018). Effectiveness of health campaign messages and communication strategies: A meta-analysis. Journal of Communication, 68(5), 984-1002.
Lester, R. (2019). Community storytelling and activism in maternal health advocacy. Journal of Community Health, 36(3), 112-125
Lichtenberg, A. (1999). Black voices matter: Black lives matter as a journalistic innovation: Columbia Journalism Review, 57 (5) 34 - 39.
Mairiga, A. G., Saleh, W., & Kyari, O. (2018). Obstetric fistula in northern Nigeria. Nigerian Medical Journal, 59(2), 66-71
McLean, K (2020). "The challenge of advocacy journalism in covering maternal health." Global Health NOW, 14 May 2020, https://www.globalhealthnow.org/2020-05/challenge-advocacy-journalism-covering-maternal-health.
Morgan, M., Shanahan, J., & Signorielli, N. (2015). Growing up with television: Cultivation processes. In J. Bryant (Ed.), The Routledge handbook of media and mass communication theory (pp. 85-100). London: Routledge.
McChesney, R. W. (2016). Journalism under fire: The continuing struggle for independence in the digital age. Seven Stories Press.
Minkler, M, and Donna, L. K. (2021). "Advocacy journalism and social change: Can storytelling make a difference?" Journal of Health Communication, vol. 16, no. 8, 2011, pp. 826-839.
Nsikan, A. (2019). Advocacy Journalism and the Promotion of Good Governance in Nigeria. Handbook of Research on Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Internationalization in Nigerian SMEs
Nigeria Health Watch. (2021). Exploring the impact of healthcare infrastructure on maternal mortality in Akwa Ibom State. Retrieved from https://nigeriahealthwatch.com/exploring-the-impact-of healthcare-infrastructure-on-maternal-mortality-in-akwa-ibom-state/
Nocera, D. (2016). Engaged journalism: Connecting with digitally empowered news audiences. Columbia Journalism Review, 55(1), 24-29.
Onwuchekwa, T. (2017). "In their own words: The struggles of pregnant women in rural Akwa Ibom State." The Guardian Nigeria. Retrieved from https://guardian.ng/life/health/in-their-own-words-the-struggles-of-pregnant-women-in-rural-akwa-ibom-state
Okonofua, F., Okonofua, L., & Chibuzor, F. (2016). Barriers to emergency obstetric care services in Nigeria: implications for maternal health advocacy. African Journal of Reproductive Health, 20(2), 35-47.
Ojo, T. T. (2018). Investigative journalism and advocacy in Nigeria: Challenges and opportunities. African Journalism Studies, 39(2), 245-260.
O'Connor, F. (2015). Investigative journalism, advocacy journalism, and activism. In N. N. Ihara (Ed.), Handbook on investigative journalism (pp. 127-145). Routledge.
Olorunfemi, O. O., Crockett, J., & Jean-Louis, R. (2018). Exploring structural barriers to maternal healthcare in Nigeria and utilization pattern. Global Public Health, 13(5), 579-596.
Ogunleye, T., & Oyeniran, O. (2017). Advocacy practice for social justice in Nigeria: Challenges and prospects. African Journal of Social Work, 7(1), 62-74.
Ogu, P. N. (2018). The imperatives of advocacy journalism in NIGERIA'S democratisation process. Journal of International Communication, 42(1), 89-102.
Ogu, P. N. (2018). The Imperatives of Advocacy Journalism in NIGERIA'S democratisation process. Journal of International Communication, 42(1), 89-102.
Olukoya, B. (2020). Nigeria's maternal mortality rates remain a huge concern despite interventions. The Guardian. Retrieved from https://guardian.ng/features/health/nigerias-maternal-mortality rates-remain-a-huge-concern-despite-interventions/
Palets, D. L. Owen, D. & Cook, T; E.(2013) . 21st Century American government and politics. Hampton Press.
Parandian, A (2019). "Visual storytelling in advocacy journalism." journalism studies, vol. 20, no. 12, 2019, pp. 1667-1683
ProPublica, N. (2021). "Lost mothers: Maternal mortality in the U.S." https://www.propublica.org/series/lost-mothers. Accessed 2 Dec. 2021.
Song, H., Liu, J., & Maynard, M. (2019). The power of storytelling: Using the narrative paradigm to engage and persuade. Journal of Marketing Communications, 25(1), 34-54.
Smith, E. (2016). Engaging the public through advocacy journalism: Strategies for promoting social change. Journal of Public Opinion Research, 42(3), 345-362.
Stempel, G. & Westley, B. (2000). Research methods in mass communications. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice Hall.
Uguru, B. A. (2024), Influence of media advocacy on the knowledge of prevention measures and management strategies of early childhood diseases among nursing mothers in Ikwo L.G.A of Ebonyi State. British Journal of Mass Communication and Media Research 4(1), 25-51. DOI: 10.52589/BJMCMRUIOF7G37.
Utalor, J. C. (2019). Influence of broadcast media messages on awareness, perception and attitude of maternal health among reproductive women in Ilorin. African Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities Research. Volume 2, Issue 1, 2019 (pp. 57-116)
Yusuf, K., & Ibrahim, A. (2020). The role of advocacy journalism promoting maternal Health awareness in Nigeria: A Case study of the guardian Newspaper. Africa Media Review, 28(1), 65-79
World Health Organization. (2020). Maternal mortality. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/news-room/factsheets/detail/maternal-mortality
World Health Organization. (2020). Maternal mortality. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/maternal mortality
World Health Organization. (2019). Nigeria maternal health. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/nigeria/newsroom/features/maternal-health
Wallack, L., & Dorfman, L. (1996). Media advocacy: A strategy for advancing policy and promoting health. Health Education Quarterly, 23(3), 293-317.
Wallack, L. (1994). Media advocacy: A strategy for empowering people and communities. Punliv health policy. Winter: 15 (4): 420-36. AmD. 788-3943.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Uwem Asuquo Akpan, Daniel Calixtus Akarika, Ifeanyi Martins Nwokeocha, Philomena E. Umoren
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
