Date of Award

2025

Degree Type

Thesis

First Advisor

Hesbon Owilla

Department

Graduate School of Media and Communications

Abstract

When the first cases of coronavirus infection emerged in Kenya, the focus of print media moved to cover COVID-19 pandemic stories. This study aimed to analyze how the print media framed the stories for the first 30 days since the discovery of patient zero. The study analyzed 3 dailies; The Standard, Nation and The People Daily. The study adopted the framing, priming and the agenda setting theories. This study employed a descriptive survey design using a quantitative research method. The population of the study was the 3 newspapers. Target population was The Standard ,The Nation and The People Daily newspapers. Purposive sampling was used to select the three major newspapers between March 12, 2020 and April 11,2020, using key words such as Covid, Covid-19 and Coronavirus among others. The study used a coding sheet and a coding book to gather data. SPSS software was utilized for data analysis. The responsibility frame was predominantly presented through commentary articles, while other frames such as conflict and economic consequences were less emphasized. Human interest and contagion frames were notably present, with commentaries being the most frequent treatment. It was concluded that the stories covered in the study addressed the needs of the public during a crisis. The study recommends editorial strategies that not only address what the public wants but also a balance with factual stories; an approach that would see journalists publish more stories that give context and interpretive analysis of COVID-19

Download

Share

COinS