The main finding of this study is that the Kenyan media have been operating in an unpredictable and swiftly changing political, social, cultural, economic and technological environment that has heavily influenced its development. A hostile and inadequate political, legal, policy and regulatory environment continues to negatively impact on the media in Kenya. Unsophisticatedliberalization of telecommunications since 1998 led to slow, uneven and haphazard growth in broadcasting. However, the new constitution is set to radically change the environment within which media operate in Kenya after the enactment of media legislations in the next three years.
Government attitude towards media and communication - as a necessary evil has grudgingly changed as manifested in the drafting of the Information and Communication Master Plan, 2008, National ICT Policy, 2008 and Freedom of Information Policy, 2008. For a while there were misgivings within the media industry about The Kenya Information and Communications Act (No.2 of 1998). However, the Act has since been amended with input from the media industry to address some of the grievances, among others, the establishment of and assignment of functions to a Broadcasting Content Advisory Council. The Broadcast Council was inaugurated by the Ministry of Information and Communications in June 2010 after the media industry, through the Media Council of Kenya appointed three members as required by the amended Act.
The media lack the will, intellectual leadership and capacity to address the diversity of legal, policy and regulatory challenges facing them. Their desultory handling of media laws and regulation is indicative of its lack of commitment to address critical issues facing the sector radically and speedily. Big investment media organizations that are well managed, have financial resources and employ trained journalists also tend to maintain high standards of professionalism.
Poorly managed small investment media organizations face financial constraints and rely on untrained and less experienced journalists.
Because of the absence of common journalism education standards, quality training of journalists is wanting. Inadequately trained and inexperienced journalism lecturers, ineffective regulation of training colleges and lack of financial and material resources all militate against a quality journalism education. Added to this is the fact that corruption is endemic in all media and cuts across all levels of staff. Journalists, editors and owners are politically co-opted and openly show editorial bias.
Although the code of conduct for journalists is available, conformity and adherence is problematic across the board. Employers rarely promote it among entry-level journalists. Journalists’ poor working conditions undermine gains already made in encouraging professional behavior.
Media organizations place a low premium on investigative journalism and hardly prioritize it. Training institutions do not teach it well. Kenyan journalists have not received sufficient training in peace journalism or been exposed to it, nor have they received training on a variety of specializations that would enable them to explain the world around them to their readers and audiences.
Though widely popular, ethnic language radio stations easily excite ethnic passions. The national broadcaster, the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) falls short of the standard as a public interest information service because of its bias and partiality in reporting politics.
Weak and disorganized professional associations perennially sufer from poor leadership, fnancial constraints, disinterested members and poor networking capacity. Although a few specialized media non-governmental organisations have the capacity to carry out advocacy and lobbying for the sector, they face a variety of financial constraints.
For some time now, the media in Kenya have been moving towards monopoly, concentrating ownership in a few hands and spreading it to cover more fields. Media owners, driven by the profit motive, have opposed government proposals (National Information and Communications Technology Policy, 2008) to limit cross-media ownership.
Insufficient broadband frequencies, limited investment in the television sector, opaque licensing and allocation of frequencies undermine diversity in the ownership of broadcast media outlets. Persistent official hostility towards some media owners discourages investors and confuses owners.
Media owners with strong political affiliations tend to be politically co-opted and influence editorial policy in line with their persuasions. The confluence of opinion on the editorial direction media should take is sometimes mitigated by stiff business competition, which creates disharmony among media owners. Media owners are largely driven by the profit motive and often ignore social responsibility roles.
Small media investors represented by the Alternative Media Network (AMNET) are not well integrated into the Media Owners Association (MOA). Community media, on the other hand, also face an uncertain future due to financial sustainability challenges as well as interference from political representatives in the constituencies where the community media outlets are sited. The umbrella body for community media (KCOMNET) is also facing funding challenges that has reduced program activities.
The MOA is perceived to wield unduly immense influence over the regulatory Media Council of Kenya – directly through representation and indirectly through its financial clout since currently it provides much of the funding for the MCK. Kenya’s audiences can access diverse media choices but they are heavily fragmented.
Audience habits, preferences and patterns affect media behaviour. Kenya’s media consumers use radio the most, followed by television and newspapers. They expose themselves to more than one channel and media per day. Kenyans have adapted to mobile telephony quickly as manifested by their use of mobile phone banking such as M-PESA, but many still prefer ethnic language media to English and Kiswahili radio stations. They demand media loyalty and ignore media that are unable to satisfy their unique political susceptibilities and sensitivities.
Audiences in Kenya change quickly, forcing the media to adapt to their needs and interests promptly. Although media literacy is low, trust in the media to report accurately on political issues is very high.
With an annual Sh17 billion advertising base, Kenya can support media growth. Advertisers are resilient and use media even during economic down turns. Media revenue from advertising has steadily grown since 2003; and is consistent with the growth of additional segments of the media.
Although the government – easily the largest spender in the Kenyan economy – has a tendency to punish independent and critical media through denial of advertising, other private advertisers use their financial muscle to have their way with the media on sensitive matters that touch on them.
An advertising code is in place, but adherence is weak. Advertisers in the tobacco and alcohol industry use mediated corporate social responsibilities strategies to bridge the gap created by anti-tobacco and alcohol advertisement laws. Some big advertisers and sponsors pay journalists and editors to guarantee positive coverage.
Despite these challenges, the media in Kenya has a sunny side. The information and technology revolution has positively afected the media in Kenya. Technological convergence has provided multiple information platforms that have increased the diversity of information sources for audiences, brought greater efciency in media operations and encouraged the growth of citizen journalism.
Large media houses, such as the Nation Media Group, the Standard Group, Wananchi Group and Multi-Choice, are quickly adapting to new technologies. The small media houses continue to use old and expensive technology because adopting newer technology has high cost implications. The state-run KBC forks out Sh120 million in monthly bills - money it does not have - because of relying on old technology.
Digital migration from analog to digital technology can bring huge benefits to the sector as it will avail more television channels to investors. However, digital migration is overly expensive for the television sector. The government has given KBC Sh1 00 million to pilot digital TV from 2009. Although technological convergence is good, it has brought with it new challenges such as the need for reliable high-speed Internet connectivity.
A desirable media
• Kenyans desire a free, independent, assertive, vibrant and responsible media that would effectively advance democracy, human rights, good governance and socioeconomic transformation. Such media would provide platforms for campaigning against the culture of impunity that is a key challenge to Kenya’s political and socio-economic transformation.
• Kenyans want professionally run media that promote, respect and adhere to the fundamental principles and global standards of journalism practice. They yearn for media that promote professional behavior in newsrooms and respect the code of conduct.
• Kenyans also want media that support efforts to promote professionalism in journalism practice in the country; and gather and provide accurate, fair, balanced and impartial information, education and entertainment to all Kenyans.
• Kenyans want plural and diverse media that promote diversity of opinions and respond to the diverse aspirations and expectations of the entire population, embracing age, education, gender, social status, interests and ethnic backgrounds.
• They want media that respect and operate under the principles of public interest and impartially balance competing interests against the attention and susceptibilities of different audiences in Kenya.
• Kenyans want media that would promote a Kenyan identity and national cohesion within a global context; a media that are sensitive to the welfare of journalists and provide competitive working conditions.
• Kenyans want an independent and assertive public service broadcaster that would discharge its mandate efficiently and impartially to all Kenyans without fear or favor.
• They want accountable ethnic language radios that are not politically captured and do not propagate hate speech nor ethnic disharmony.
• Kenyans want commercially viable, independent and accountable community multi-media platforms that amplify the voices of local communities on issues that affect them while promoting a development agenda.
• Kenyans want media that promote the development of local content and talent. There is need to undertake further research on applications and the financial viability of emerging local content industry in Kenya.
• Kenyans want private media that balance commercial interests and the development imperatives of the country; media that are accountable and corruption-free; and media that promote media literacy among their audiences.
Towards the desired media in Kenya
No single strategy can deliver the media Kenyans want. The following are offered as some of the steps that must be taken together to deliver the media Kenyans desire.
1. Strengthen professionalism in the practice of journalism through training
Programmes associationsand organizations.
2. Strengthen lobbying and advocacy for the repeal of all anti-media laws alongside the enactment of a media-friendly constitution and laws, with emphasis on pressurizing the government to act expeditiously.
3. Intensify efforts to lobby for the enactment of a Freedom of Information Act to guarantee greater access to information held by the government and other public bodies and review sections of the Kenya Information and Communication Act 2008 and the Media Act, 2007 that inhibit or constrain effective operations of the media industry.
4. Build capacity of the Media Council of Kenya (MCK) to enable it to effectively and efficiently act as a regulator for journalism practice in Kenya. Also, strengthen MCK to develop industry guidelines on working conditions for journalists and monitor adherence to them. There is need for MCK to upscale their act to speedily register all media and compel them to support strategies for professionalizing journalism practice in Kenya. There is need to strengthen the MCK capacity to monitor media content and adherence to code of conduct for journalists.
5. Build capacity for small media organizations, especially ethnic language and community radio stations, to effectively handle interactive live broadcasts as a way of nurturing a culture for peace journalism. There is need to provide clear guidelines for monitoring hate speech and incitement in radio stations.
6. Strengthen peace media in Kenya. There is a need to integrate conflict management and peace journalism in journalism training programmes at university level as well as in in-house training. Media houses should encourage journalism that has a unique Kenyan identity and image.
7. Promote media literacy as well as other eforts that scrutinize media behavior. There is need for media to promote media literacy among audiences. Media products and services are most useful to audiences when they know how to make informed decisions from them.
8. Establish media watch and accountability programmes and indices. A periodic
evaluation of media performance should be encouraged. Already, some effort is being made through the African Media Barometer. There is need for a further dye on corruption in the media.
9. Support the use of media as platforms for promoting development in Kenya. There need to support efforts that leverage civil society development programmes on the media. Policy guidelines on minimum development content for broadcasting media is required, as is periodic monitoring of media coverage of development issues.
10. Promote citizen media and journalism. There is need to strengthen efforts that exploit the potential of technological convergence to expand the diversity of information choices for communities.
11. Encourage media to embrace corporate social responsibility as a way of giving back to their audiences.
Media as agenda setters for elections and the development of the society
By Frank Mugabi
Ucap 2012 workshop, july 22-26 @ sun n sand resort beach, mombasa, kenya.
By Frank Mugabi, Journalist with Vision Group in Uganda.
What do we mean by agenda setting?
It can be defined as the art or science of creating a perceived importance to particular issues or subjects.
And to the media, this refers to the way different issues are reported about and discussed.
Agenda setting by the media-cont.
It can also be referred to as media framing and it presents in various ways including catch phrasing, taglines, visual images, moral evaluations, metaphors, depictions etc
To sum up, the media not only has the ability to tell the public what to think about but also what to actually think.
Media and agenda setting during elections
The media wields much space to influence an election and this can be either positively or negatively. Numerous studies all over the world like Dearing and Rogers 1996 and Ghanem 1996 established firm correlations between media and public priorities.
In the quest to set the agenda, the media could actually hold the key to which contestant wins or doesn’t win an election.
Media and agenda setting during elections
A clear example is how the media has diverted the American presidential campaigns to what some people think matter less.
Questions have been posted from some corners on how the media has managed to lock the voters into discussing how Romney failed/or didn’t fail to remit his tax returns over issues like the economy, jobs, the deficit and anything else that matters to voters.
When mass media emphasize a topic, the audience/public receiving the message will consider the topic to be important.
But its not an absolute end. The public could respond differently depending on the issue raised, persons involved or the media outlet passing on such info.
The audience/readers shouldn’t be taken for granted. They have their own understanding of which media may matter for some issues but less
But again, whether the media really affect public opinion or not is irrelevant.
What matters here is that political actors believe that TV and newspapers determine the public’s issue priorities.
Not reacting on topics widely covered in the media might be considered as incapacity, or even worse, indifference. As a result, politicians tend to adopt media issues, if not by solving the issue with real measures then, at least, by showing their commitment and displaying their responsiveness.
This is the reason opposition politicians rely on the media as a kind of heuristic device, a search engine constantly browsing through society and throwing up new, unattended, and gravely neglected topics. Yet they also respond to positive news noting how good and successful a job they are doing.
Conclusion
As I conclude, I want to caution the mainstream media on the emergency and growing popularity of the new media (social media).
It’s a challenge to mainstream media to remain relevant by highlighting community issues and not the editor’s interests. Otherwise you risk becoming an irrelevant media house. Covering community stories is the way to go.
Conclusion
This calls for having more reporters/correspondents and investment in professional tools to enable your journalists get people’s voices and picture stories.
Because the media agenda eventually becomes the public agenda we (journalists) need to play our roles responsibly. Irresponsible behavior could turn catastrophic to the very development we claim to promote.
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