This research investigated into the factors that detract news reporting in East Africa, focusing on the Ethiopian Herald and Kenyan Daily Nation. To attain this objective, mixed research approach had been employed. More specifically, in depth interviews, questionnaires and content analysis were integrated. The data then were analyzed concurrently using simple descriptive method and narration.
The results have shown that there are internal and external factors that detract news reporting. News value, perception of journalists, and editorial interests are found major internal factors that create detraction while government influences, NGOs and other private profit making companies are identified as external factors. To mend these detractive factors the newsrooms need to work based on their editorial policies and need to ensure their editorial independence.
African academia of journalism and newsrooms in general need to work in close proximity and better hammer on what African journalism should look like. Equally, press freedom is vital to build a sustainable nation-state. Thus, governments have to leave adequate space to media people so that they can carry out their jobs freely and professionally.
Table of Contents
1. INTRODUCTION
1.1. Background of the Study
1.2. Statement of the problem
1.3. Objective of the study
1.3.1. General objective
1.3.2. Specific objectives
1.4. Research questions
1.5. Significance of the study
1.6. Delimitation of the study
1.7. Limitation of the study
2. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATAURE
2.1. News defined
2.2. News reporting and non-representation
2.3. Domesticating news reporting
2.5. News value and representation of Africa
2.6. Journalism models in Africa
2.7. Ethicts and news reporting
2.7.1. Development of media ethics
2.7.2. Linking journalistic practice with journalistic ethics
2.7.3. Journalistic Ethics, Globalization and Africa
2.8. Traditional Vs. New journalism theories
2.8.1. Theories of Press and its critique
2.8.2. Hallin and Mancini’s model and its critique
2.8.3. Critiques of the models
2.9. Theoritical framework of the study
2.9.1. Critical theory and communication
2.9.1.1. Critical theory and news reporting
2.9.2. Critical realism
2.9.2.1. Critial realism and news reporting
2.9.3. Globalization theory
2.9.3.1. Globlization theory and news reporting
3. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY
3.1. Method of the study
3.2. Research Setting, Population and Selection Procedures
3.2.1. The rationale behind selecting The Ethiopian Herald and Daily Nation
3.2.2. Kenya, country profile
3.2.3. Newspapers in Kenya
3.2.4. The Daily Nation
3.2.5. Ethiopia, country profile
3.2.6. Newspapers in Ethiopia
3.2.7. The Ethiopian Herald
3.3. Political economy and Media in the two states
3.3.1. Political economy of Ethiopia and the media
3.3.2. Political economy of Kenya and the media
3.4. Sampling technique
3.5. Sampling procedure
3.6. Instruments of data collection
3.6.1. Questionnaire
3.6.2. In-depth interview
3.6.3. Content analysis
3.6.3.1. Sampling method
3.6.3.2. Coding
3.6.3.3. Inter code realibility
3.7. Data analysis
4. DATA PRESENTATION, INTERPRETATION AND DISCUSSION
4.1. News selection
4.1.1. The Ethiopian Herald Newsroom
4.1.2. The Daily Nation Newsroom
4.2. Contextualizing news selection criteria
4.3. Bad news reporting
4.4. Why negative news production
4.5. News reporting in Africa and impact of local and global organizations
4.6. What does it take to report about Africa?
5. SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RESEARCH IMPLICATIONS
5.1. Summary
5.2. Conclusions
5.3. Research implications
5.3.1. For the media houses
5.3.2. African journalism academia
5.3.3. Press Freedom
6. REFERENCES
Objectives & Research Scope
This research investigates the factors detracting from news reporting in East Africa, focusing specifically on the Ethiopian Herald and the Kenyan Daily Nation. It explores how internal factors like news values and editorial policies, combined with external influences such as government pressures, NGOs, and global entities, shape the news content. The central research question examines how journalists in these settings apply news values, the impact of these internal and external factors, and how background knowledge influences the reporting of African realities.
- The influence of Western-centric news values on African journalism.
- The impact of internal newsroom hierarchy and editorial policies.
- External pressures from government, NGOs, and global corporations.
- The role of journalistic training and education in shaping news coverage.
- The discrepancy between reality on the ground and published news.
Excerpt from the Book
1.1. Background of the Study
Africa, the second largest continent in the world whose population size is estimated to be over one billion, UNDESA (2015), has been through various social, political and economic upheavals which in turn shaped and reshaped the life style of the people of the continent in various ways. Iliffe (2009) for instance wrote that the advent of transatlantic slave trade which had befallen in massive scales shocked the development of the people and throw them in a chain of problems M’baye (2006) and Rodney (1973). Ilife (2009) also supports the argument goes: “Africa was not undreveloped at the beginning of the Atlantic trade; its populations had demographical, climatological, and agricultural conditions that allowed them to develop in their own contexts.”
However, as its important human resource left the continent to the plantations which were located off the cost of Atlantic, and the engagement of the remaining strong groups in the lucrative business, of raiding villages, aiming at getting more captives than developing their craft and cultivating their lands, accounted their shares for the continent’s underdevelopment. This era elapsed 400 years according to Abramova (1979).
The period of colonialism that compressed Africa with its heavy yoke from 19th to 20th centuries ended up in converting the population into slaves in their own lands, Boahen (1985). Not only that the people were also forced to change their age long religions into Christianity. Their knowledge, wisdom, skills and the likes had been pushed to the walls and were forced to imagine their world anew. Mudimbe (1988) portrays the scenario more clearly as he said, “Colonialists have all tended to organize and transform non-European areas into fundamentally European constructs.” The colonizing scheme had also gone in three ways.
Summary of Chapters
1. INTRODUCTION: This chapter provides the background on Africa's historical and socio-political challenges and states the research problem regarding news reporting.
2. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATAURE: This chapter examines definitions of news, journalism models in Africa, and the theoretical frameworks, including critical theory and globalization, that guide the study.
3. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY: This section details the mixed-methods approach, sampling procedures for the Ethiopian Herald and Daily Nation, and data collection instruments like questionnaires and interviews.
4. DATA PRESENTATION, INTERPRETATION AND DISCUSSION: This chapter analyzes how news selection criteria, editorial interests, and external pressures contribute to news discrepancies and misrepresentation.
5. SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RESEARCH IMPLICATIONS: This final chapter synthesizes the study's findings, provides concluding remarks on the factors affecting news reporting, and offers implications for media houses and journalism academia.
Keywords
News reporting, East Africa, Ethiopian Herald, Daily Nation, Globalization, News value, Journalism ethics, Critical theory, Media bias, Development journalism, Western influence, Misrepresentation, Editorial policy, Africa, News selection criteria.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research?
The research investigates the factors that detract from professional news reporting in East Africa, specifically analyzing newsrooms at the Ethiopian Herald and the Kenyan Daily Nation.
What are the central themes of the work?
Key themes include the impact of globalization, the adoption of Western journalistic norms in Africa, the influence of internal organizational politics, and external pressures from NGOs and governments.
What is the primary objective of the study?
The primary goal is to identify and critically analyze the internal and external factors that lead to news bias and misrepresentation within the selected East African media outlets.
Which research methodology is employed?
The study uses a mixed-methods approach, integrating qualitative in-depth interviews and content analysis with quantitative questionnaire data from journalists.
What does the main body of the work cover?
The main body covers a literature review of journalism theories, a detailed methodology, the presentation of survey and interview results, and a critical discussion of news selection practices in the two newspapers.
Which keywords characterize this study?
Core keywords include News reporting, Globalization, News value, Africa, Editorial policy, Media bias, and Journalism ethics.
How do NGOs and private organizations influence news in the region?
The study finds that these entities influence newsrooms through direct and indirect means, often encouraging coverage that exaggerates societal gaps to benefit their own intervention narratives.
How does the Ethiopian Herald differ from the Daily Nation in terms of editorial control?
The research notes that the state-owned Ethiopian Herald is subject to stricter editorial control and government alignment, whereas the private Daily Nation is more market-driven, though still influenced by geopolitical pressures like counter-terrorism laws.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Worku Belachew (Autor:in), 2016, Factors affecting News Reporting in East Africa. A Focus on the "Ethiopian Herald" and Kenyan "Daily Nation", München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/384344
