CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION 1.1     BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Mass media have been a major agent of socialization and tools for social change especially now that people depend on message from mass media. The potential power of the mass media is to help solve social problem. Television, radio and print advertising can entice people to buy a wide range of products and services, and television entertainment programmes and moves exert enormous influence on our ideas, values and behaviors.

Therefore, according to conventional wisdom, it is possible to use mass communication to get people to act on behalf of their own health and well-being.

It is not surprising that advocates would look to the mass media as an important aid in addressing the problems of high-risk drinking among students. Some advocate have pushed for reform or other restriction on alcohol advertising (Dejong and Rassell, 1995), others have sought to influence entertainment producers to end the glorification of high-risk drinking on television and in the movies (Montgomercy, 1989). More recently, prevention advocates have produced a small number of media campaign designs to change student knowledge attitude and behaviours.

How can the power of the mass media be used effectively to reduce high-risk drinking among college student? Mass media campaign focused on student drinking; information, social norms marketing and advocacy.

This is followed by a review of key lessons for campaigns design derived from work in commercial marketing, advertising and public relations and from past public health campaigns. Future campaigns on student drinking might be constructed so that they work in synergy with environmentally focused prevention efforts now being implemented on college campuses.

Most media campaigns focused on college student drinking have been campus based, using a means of posters, flyers electronic mail messages and college newspapers advertisement. More recently, a few regional, state and national media campaigns have begun to address this issue as well.

The following review describes three types of campaigns. First, information campaigns which raises awareness of the problem, usually with the intent of motivating students to avoid high-risk alcohol use. Second, social norms marketing campaign which is targeted at misperceptions of current drinking norms, based on the idea that student no longer have an exaggerated views of how much alcohol their peers are consuming, fewer of them engage in high-risk drinking. Third advocacy campaigns which attempt to stimulate support for institutional, community or public change. Unfortunately, evaluation data for all the three campaigns are still very limited.

Menino as a response to the 1997 death of Scott Krueger a freshman at the Massachusetts institute of technology who died from alcohol poisoning after a fraternity hazing. Each of the advertisement for this poster and bill board campaign uses a photographs taken from the point of view of drinking with the rhetorical tagline, “Remind you of last night” one show the blurry image of a toilet, the apparent target of an intoxicated drinker lying in bed, the room spinning rapidly around him. Another show the splayed feet of a drinker who needs to vomit. A third shows a cover of young women pointing and laughing at a drinker (presumably a male who has passed out or fallen on the flower.

1.2     STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

The continuous abuse of these drugs, has lead to a situation of drug addicted unloved developing bondage for the drug.

Drug therefore, is a state of period or choice intoxication produced by repeated consummation of a drug (Natural or synthetic) his characteristics are on over powering compulsives to continue in taking the drug, tend only to increase the does, and the deserve to obtain it by all means-situation that offend lead to various crimes, including the distortions of national economics, monetary, polices due to laundering of profits, narcotic, crimes (especially violence, cultism, assassination and moral decadence among our youth) the effects of drug abuse are detrimental not only to the individual but to the society as a whole, yet this problem is on the increase tend news about drug abuse involving ones in higher institution of learning, choose the serious threat to our national society, can the electronic media as a article for information dissemination be relied upon to perform it role in the society, to join hand in the battle against drug abuse article for information dissemination be relied upon to perform it role in the society, to join hand I the battle against drug abuse.

1.3     PURPOSE OF THE STUDY

1. To examine whether punch newspaper educate and enlighten the general public on drug abuse?
2. To know if mass media awareness on drug abuse has reduced the unlawful use of drug on society.
3. To know if there is any problem facing punch in creating awareness on drug abuse?
4. To know if mass media contribute to drug abuse through advertisement and alcohol promo?
5. To examine if punch present adequate information on effect of drug abuse to the people in society?

1.4     RESEARCH QUESTIONS

1. Do punch educate and enlighten the general public on drug abuse?
2. Has mass media awareness on drug abuse reduced the unlawful use of drug on the society?
3. Is there any problem facing punch in creating awareness on drug abusers?
4. Do mass media promote drug abuse through advertisement and alcohol promo?
5. Do punch educate and enlighten the general public on the bad effect of drug abuse

1.5     SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The research will benefit different people, organization and government and other agencies especially youth. This study has important contribution to make in the education of drug abuse among our youths in our national network station.

Drug abuse has a debilitation effect on the health of the nations irresponsible, unemployable, indeed, there is a damager of the waste of Nigeria’s next general if the best of Nigeria youths will be consumed by an addiction that will leave trappable of productive employment or social reduction.

The national security implication, hence the need for the media to intensity their role and fin hands with various organization like the national drug law enforcement glance (Melba) and national agency for food and drug administration control (NAFDAC) to control this scrounge in all its ramification. Our higher national network activity should also be encouraged through their curriculum to expose the effect of the drug abuse.

1.8     SCOPE OF THE STUDY

The study has been limited to punch in Nigeria due to time, geographical structure of Nigeria and other logistics since it is very difficult if not impossible to study all the media organization in Nigeria. The research focuses on the role of mass media in generating awareness against drug abuse.

Wide research of this nature cannot be carried out without some constrains, this constrains pose a lot of limitation of his work.

       Duration for the research is relatively short

       Stress emanated from other academic activities is also another constrains.

       Financial constrains posed another challenges

       Little materials are also available because the work is relatively new.

       Most information are gathered through newspaper and internet.

1.8     DEFINITION OF TERMS

Role: This is synonymous to the function or contribution of something or somebody.

Mass Media:  These are means of communication to a larger audience, these are represented by radio, television, newspaper and magazine.

Generating

Awareness:   It means making it known to the public popular.

Drug: Drug is a substance which may have medicinal intoxication or enhancing performance of other effect in human body.

Drug abuse: this is the use of drug or substances in which the user consumes the substance in amount or with method neither approved nor supervise by medical professional etc.

NTA: Nigeria Television Authority

OSOC: Osun State Broadcasting Corporate.