Perception and Attitude of Ekwulobia Diocesan Faithful Towards Channels Television News Report on Blessing of Same-Sex Couples By Vatican

This study explored the perception and attitude of Ekwulobia Diocesan faithful towards Channels Television’s news report on the Vatican’s blessing of same-sex couples. This topic is significant given the Catholic Church’s traditional stance on marriage and the implications of the Vatican’s actions for its global followers. The research aims to understand how the news report has influenced the opinions and attitudes of the diocesan faithful considering their religious beliefs and cultural context. Among the objectives of the study are to find out respondents’ level of exposure to Channels TV’s news report on Vatican’s blessing of same-sex couples and to determine respondents’ perception of the news report. Cultivation and Acculturation theories served as the theoretical underpinnings in this study. The study employed survey research method and with Cozby’s table, 322 respondents were selected. Findings revealed a high exposure to the Channels TV’s news report on the blessing of same-sex couples by the Vatican and that the major view of the news report is negative because the respondents had negative perception of the report which affected their attitude towards the reception of the report leading to anger, frustration, frenzy, outburst and uneasiness. It was recommended that channels TV and other media outlets should strive for balanced reporting on sensitive issues and they should engage religious leaders and communities to foster understanding and respect for diverse viewpoints.