The Conflict Sensitive Journalism during Elections

A Case study of 2017 General Elections in Kenya

Abstract

Information dissemination is a sensitive issue in a country like Kenya where conflict and violence recur during general elections. The study looked into the nature of conflict sensitive journalism practiced in Kenya. Over the years, media has constantly been accused of fueling violence during elections following the nature of news disseminated. The media has the responsibility of censoring information before it is disseminated. The research study looked into the conflict related news items of the August 2017 general elections. The scope of the study was two television stations (NTV News Tonight and K24 News Cut) broadcasts at 9pm then. Purposive sampling was used to identify relevant content as pertains to the topic of study. A total sample size of 30 news bulletins were drawn from the two media stations with a focus to conflict sensitive news items and their placements in the broadcast. The news items put into focus for analysis were news stories, feature stories and conversations. The findings indicate that journalists can be agents of peace during and after the elections. However, for any journalism to be termed as good, professional standards should be practiced in communication. Also, journalists should go beyond the distribution of facts. Instead, they should strike a balance between telling facts and ensuring that those facts do not cause violence. In conclusion, media stations have the responsibility of maintaining peace and order in the country as opposed to propagating fear and division among the people.