ABSTRACT
This study examined literature on political transitions in the latter part of the 20th century and the mass media’s role in political transitions, using Nigeria in the 1990s as a case study. To test the press’ role in pushing Nigerians to fight for political change, the study used the media agenda building part of the agenda setting theory. Agenda setting theory postulates that the media are very influential in telling the public what to think about concerning political issues. This study focused on how democratization and transition issues got on the press’ agenda, and sought to find out who set the press’ agenda on these issues in Nigeria in the 1990s. Using content analysis and interviews, the study sought to answer four research questions.
