Date of Award

2-2023

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Master of Arts in Digital Journalism (MADJ)

First Supervisor/Advisor

Hesbon Owilla

Department

Graduate School of Media and Communications

Abstract

Media worldwide has always been a strong instrument for disseminating, promoting awareness and establishing of social, economic and political agendas. There is no denying that environmental issues such as climate change are indeed on the rise worldwide, and while the media covers these environment and climate change calamities, events and news-making stories, that is as far as the story goes. That said the need for a well-informed public on environmental issues has increasingly become very crucial, especially with the growing concerns over environmental issues worldwide. Environmental issues have thus fast become an area of much interest and debate. Developed nations in this period, as has been the trend with other critical issues, have taken this with urgency with more resources allocated for research and coverage of environmental issues. As a result, more people in developed countries are aware and cautious of their interaction with these environmental issues. Kenya is currently feeling the impact of these environmental issues, from inconsistent rainfall to extreme droughts and floods. Media reports would therefore help bridge the awareness gap by providing viewers with environmental information and helping people with basic or average educational knowledge to explain the scientific aspects of climate science. This study, therefore, sought to establish and analyse the environmental issues covered by Kenyan TV, focusing on Citizen Television, between October 2020 and October 2021. The study borrows form two theories of agenda setting and framing. The research adopted a descriptive content analysis research design alongside in-depth interviews. The study found that whereas Kenyan Television Media, specifically Citizen Television, covered environmental issues, the stories only showed the extent of damage and suggested measures of addressing the issues. They, however, did not expound on the causes and effects and often lacked detailed coverage on what to do differently. Conclusively, the findings suggested a general need for more in-depth reporting to enrich the coverage and make it more prominent.

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