Reporting on Terror: Assessing the Viability of Peace Journalism in the Kenyan News Media

This study examines the viability of peace journalism in the Kenyan context when reporting on terror. It focuses on the applicability of peace journalism, to the Kenyan media system, as an alternative way of reporting on conflict and violence. This thesis aims to contribute to knowledge about peacebuilding and the processes of reconciliation and de-escalation through the use of the news media as a peace promoting tool using peace journalism. The study focuses on a textual analysis of Kenyan newspapers, identifying how the Kenyan news media reports on terror, alongside an in-depth analysis of interviews carried out with Kenyan journalists and editors, critically exploring and analysing why the Kenyan news media reports on terror the way that it does. The study draws on connections between the complexities of reporting on terror, the nature of the Kenyan news media system and environment based on social, cultural, historical and economic factors and the systemic factors and structures that steer journalistic principles and practice when reporting on conflict. It also draws on the principles of the “good journalism” school of thought on peace journalism and assesses the viability of peace journalism in the Kenyan news media as an alternative way of reporting on terror. The study draws several conclusions, based on the data collected: one, the Kenyan news media reports on terrorism predominantly through a war journalism lens; and two, there is a prevalence of war journalism in the coverage of terrorism in the Kenyan news media because of internal and external structural constraints, which primarily manifest through compromised media freedoms and limited access to information, and which affect the quality of the practice of journalism in Kenyan newsrooms and the agency and autonomy of individual journalists. This therefore affects the viability of peace journalism in the Kenyan news media environment and prevents its full adoption within this environment. However, the study concludes by arguing that some aspects of peace journalism, such as the inclusion of the voices of ordinary people and peacemakers and the “tools” that touch on language, word choice and framing, can be adopted by the Kenyan news media in order to facilitate a better understanding of terrorism for Kenyan audiences.

Author dc:creator

• Nzibo, Rukia Yusuf Abdulrahman Nzibo

Advisors dc:contributor.advisor

• Bowd, Kathryn
• Budarick, John

• peace journalism
• conflict reporting
• peace building
• news media
• terrorism

Language dc:language.iso

en

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/2440/130105

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:digital.library.adelaide.edu.au:2440/130105