NEWSPAPER READERSHIP PATTERN OF NIGERIAN UNIVERSITY UNDERGRADUATES
This study investigated newspaper readership among Mass Communication students in the Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki. The research design adopted was a survey method; population frame was 1200 Mass Communication Students of Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki while the sample size was 291 selected via a stratified random method. It was discovered that there is low newspaper readership among the students. The student preferred general interest newspapers particularly Daily Trust and the Sun Newspapers. The manners in which the students access newspapers were majorly through borrowing and vendor stand-free-reading. The study also revealed that politics and sport are the major subjects of interest which the students often seek from newspaper while the problems militating against the newspaper readership among the students include lack of money, prevalent of online newspaper and poor supply of newspaper in the University library and the Department. Nigerian Universities should provide newspapers in the University library daily and create newspaper hub or stand within the department of mass communication to enable students to access newspapers and enhance their reading habit. This is because, reading newspaper informs readers as well as enhances the readers literacy skills. Therefore, the newspaper serves as a tool for learning, especially among communication students. However, newspaper readership among students in Nigeria has been an issue of concern due to some factors .