ABSTRACT:

This paper examined public perception of the media coverage of the 2016 herdsmen and farmers conflict in Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State, Nigeria (in terms of influence either to escalate or deescalate the crisis). The study was anchored on theories on the formation of public opinion (Agenda-Setting Theory) and the Human Needs theory. The study adopted the qualitative and quantitative research designs. The instruments were Likert scale structured questionnaire; and Key Informant Interviews-KII was carried out on the public in areas around Bokkos, with journalists, politicians and security personnel. For the quantitative research, a sample size of 384 copies of questionnaire was distributed and was analysed using mean and standard deviation. The findings revealed that the majority of the respondents felt that most media reports of the Fulani herdsmen and farmers were lopsided, as reports of the conflict ignored the principle of factuality in giving details of causality, and media report on the conflict did no corroborate with information given by security agencies on the conflict. It was recommended that the media should be more objective and fair in its reportage of news stories on conflicts, and be an agent of conflict resolution