Date of Award

11-2022

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Master of Arts in Digital Journalism (MADJ)

First Supervisor/Advisor

Rosalind Raddatz

Second Supervisor/Advisor

Lydia Radoli

Department

Graduate School of Media and Communications

Abstract

This study sought to find out how the print media in Kenya framed State of the Nation addresses on COVID-19 by President Uhuru Kenyatta. The objectives of this study were; (a) to ascertain the main messages or themes that were dominant in President Uhuru Kenyatta’s State of The Nation (SOTN) addresses on COVID-19, (b) to determine the frames the print media used in the coverage of the State of the Nation addresses by President Uhuru Kenyatta in regards to the containment measures, (c) to determine the sources that the print media incorporated in their coverage of the State of the Nation addresses (SOTN) on COVID-19 by President Uhuru Kenyatta and whether they were either critical or supportive of the main messages in the addresses. The study was anchored on the framing theory. The researcher conducted a content analysis of the Standard and Daily Nation newspapers whereby stories that were in line with President Uhuru Kenyatta’s State of the Nation addresses on COVID-19 were analysed. The researcher further interviewed editors and reporters in the respective media houses who papers were under study as well as media and communication experts based on the content analysis findings. This study found out that, the print media adopted the containment and economic measures frame in the reportage of Uhuru State of the Nation addresses on COVID-19. The study also found out that the media used government officials and businessmen/economic players as predominant sources in their reportage most of who were in support of President Uhuru Kenyatta’s main measures on COVID-19. The study recommends the need for media houses to invest heavily in reporting man-power to ensure that analytical and in-depth articles rather than straight news stories are served to their audiences in times of crisis. The study also recommends that journalists should not over rely on government officials as sources during pandemics but should also use medical/health experts in their reportage in times of health crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic. The current study does not examine the impact the print media’s framing of President Uhuru Kenyatta’s main messages on COVID-19 had on the audience with regards to behaviour and attitude. Therefore, further studies should look into how these addresses by heads of state or government officials have an impact on the audience’s behaviour during pandemics or health risk events and how they contribute to containment of an outbreak thus reducing morbidity and mortality.

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