HEDGING AND VEILING AS POLITENESS STRATEGIES IN MEDIA INTERACTIONS ON CHANNELS TELEVISION'S POLITICS TODAY

Abstract

This study investigates hedging and veiling as politeness strategies in Politics Today, a live political talk show on Channels Television, within Nigeria’s volatile socio-political climate (2021–2023). Anchored in Locher and Watts’ (2005) relational work theory, the research examines how participants employ linguistic devices to mitigate face-threatening acts, preserve decorum and manage public perception. Ten purposively selected episodes covering political, economic, and social issues were analysed using qualitative descriptive design, combining discourse analysis with pragmatic annotation. Findings reveal that hedging and veiling enable political actors to balance critique with cultural norms of indirectness, while inclusive pronouns, denials, indirectness, and co-opting diffuse conflict and foster collective responsibility. The strategies function variably as polite, politic, or impolite behaviours depending on context, illustrating the dynamic, negotiated nature of politeness in live Nigerian media. The study contributes to African politeness research and offers practical implications for media training, political rhetoric and conflict-sensitive communication in high-stakes environments.