Abstract
This study is on assessment of newspaper coverage of fake drugs in Nigeria. The total population for the study is 200 staff of selected newspapers in Akwa Ibom state. The researcher used questionnaires as the instrument for the data collection. Descriptive Survey research design was adopted for this study. A total of 133 respondents made editors, marketers, senior staff and junior officers were used for the study. The data collected were presented in tables and analyzed using simple percentages and frequencies
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
- Background of the study
The newspaper is the medium for the public to get accurate information and updates about current issues. There are a lot of articles about fake drugs published in newspapers in this country. The biggest problem to get the overview of fake drugs is lack and limited research on the fake drugs in Nigeria. Therefore, this made the newspaper as a reliable reference to get the information or an overview of fake drugs in Nigeria. The used of newspapers to get the overview of fake drugs is via people that interviewed in the articles in the papers. The people that interviewed gave the information and viewed about fake drugs in Nigeria. These are the first study in Nigeria aimed to determine whether the content of interrogated in the articles on fake drugs that published in the selected newspaper in can be explored to get the information about fake drugs from the articles in the newspapers. Fake drugs had been a major problem of every society that threatens the lives of people all over the world. According to experts, the negative impact of fake drugs on the society is more than that of either narcotic agents or the combined effects of malaria, HIV/AIDS and armed robbery (Akunyili, 2005). This is why the press and World Health Organization recently, alerted the international community on the need of sensitizing the mass on the effect of fake drugs (WHO, 2005). Cooperation as well as exchange of information by the press between governments and drug companies in combating this menace is expected to provide better results. It’s on this note that the researcher is moved to investigate press sensitization of the public on fake drugs in Nigeria.  There was little research which has used the qualitative approach in the developed countries. This study is following a qualitative approach design. References for this study sourced from the online electronic newspapers which are Utusan Malaysia and Kosmo. Three papers online were selected after the author did the inclusion criteria screening and only these two newspapers company produce enough articles to be analysed. The reason to choose online newspapers is to be more practical and save the time during analysed because the hard copy of newspapers need longer screening and need focusing during the reading of every article in the press. Newspaper can be a medium to get the information that related with the certain phenomena. This study is about unregistered drugs phenomena in Nigeria. The themes emerged from the newspaper indicated that many factors contributed to this issues and many management or solution in managing this problem implemented by the government and the enforcement Pharmacy department. Although there is full support from the government, enforcement pharmacy, awareness and education programme given to the public, this problem remained. There are many of obstacles that need to be highlighted. The advancement of technology and the management of unregistered drugs also need to be upgraded and updated. The recommended solution to this problem is to access or improve the current awareness programme and to ensure that the knowledge given to the public is well comprehended and can be practically applied by the public. The government or the health policy makers also need to ensure that the information given to the public are equal and sustainability.
