Browsing by Author "Nyamboga, Erneo Nyakundi"
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Item Awareness, Knowledge, and Perception of Genetically Modified Foods Among Maize Farmers in Uasin Gishu and Trans-Nzoia Counties, Kenya(Journal of Education and Practice, 2023-07) Nyamboga, Erneo Nyakundi; Olomy, Joseph Joachim; Mulwo, Abraham KipropSeveral awareness studies have generally reported that the public is aware of genetically modified foods (GMFs). However, when their knowledge is probed, most studies have indicated that the public tends to fail to demonstrate an understanding of GMFs equivalent to the awareness levels reported. Nevertheless, there is scarce knowledge on the role of information on public knowledge of GMFs. In this study, we administered a semistructured questionnaire to 298 farmers from Uasin Gishu and Trans-Nzoia counties in Kenya to assess their awareness, test their knowledge, and examine their perception toward GMFs. We then interrogated the farmers’ reported sources of GMFs information to determine the nature and quality of information accessible to them and its role in their knowledge and perceptions toward GMFs. Findings indicate that despite 99.3% of the farmers reporting being aware of GMFs, most had inadequate knowledge. Farmers receive unreliable information from sources that warrant misinformation, confusing them about GMFs. This confusion leads to farmers’ concerns primarily about the perceived risks of GMFs on human health and the environment. Scientific information about GMF is scarce, giving room for misinformation and increasing farmers’ anxiety and scepticism about GMFs. Still, farmers were found to be more optimistic than negative toward GMFs. The study concludes that inadequacy of knowledge is associated with the nature and quality of information farmers receive. We recommend that scientists and other parties involved with GMF rethink their communication strategies to engage the public with reliable and understandable facts about GM technology and foods to allow farmers and the general public to make informed decisions.Item Challenges in the Production of Innovation Content for Engineering Artisans: Case Study of Media Producers in Nairobi, Kenya(The International Journal Of Humanities & Social Studies, 2016-10) Nyamboga, Erneo Nyakundi; Githinji, Martin KuriaMedia producers in Kenya struggle at producing content for innovation in the digital television platform. The researchers, therefore, sought to examine the challenges and efforts in place for media producers to produce innovation content for engineering ‘Jua Kali’ (hot-sun) artisans and whether engineering ‘Jua Kali’ artisans can access the innovation content. The study was anchored on the pragmatic research philosophy. The study employed a mixed methods approach and a multiple case study was the research method. A sample of 60 respondents was studied. Data was generated through survey questionnaires and interview guides. The findings showed 68.9% of the engineering Jua Kali artisans found it difficult to access innovation content. Media producers also cited an irresponsive market to audiences and extra television relations hindered the production of innovation content. It is hoped that these findings will encourage the production of interesting, innovative content, from media producers and that engineering Jua Kali artisans will benefit from the findings.Item Challenges Kenyan Television Journalists Face in Spotting Fake News(Journal of Development and Communication Studies, 2020) Matu, Nguri; Mutugi, Kabucua John; Nyamboga, Erneo NyakundiA fake news story can travel half way across the world as the truth puts on its socks. There are myriads of challenges facing journalists in spotting fake news hence its wide proliferation. Fake news has become a prominent subject of enquiry especially following its alleged influence of the 2016 general elections in US. Unfortunately, research on fake news has focused on social media, politics, elections, and economies. Few studies have focused on the challenges that TV journalists face in spotting fake news prompting this study. The specific research question was; what are the challenges facing television journalists in spotting fake news in Kenya? The study adapted a relativist-constructivist/interpretivist ontology and epistemology, qualitative approach and multiple case study methodology. Data was generated through in-depth interviews, direct observation and documents review. The study used purposive sampling to generate data from 16 journalists. Data was then analysed in themes and presented in narrative form. Key findings were that in spotting fake news, journalists faced challenges like; loss of viewers, lack of authoritative contacts, sources who gave fake news for personal, business, political, and economic benefits, ability of fake news to camouflage real news, speed of fake news, typologies of fake news, live reporting, inexperienced correspondents and interns, and social media. The study concludes that the challenges facing journalists in spotting fake news were majorly based on sources, technology, education, skills and training, and its typology. The study therefore recommends that editorial boards invest in experts to train journalists on styles, architecture, propagation and use of fake news, inoculation of journalists and audiences, raising fake news literacy levels, and use of technology based approaches like reverse search and fact checking sites.Item Drop Analogue, and Digitize: The Practical Challenges in Kenya’s Digital Migration Programme(The International Journal Of Humanities & Social Studies, 2015-12) Nyamboga, Erneo Nyakundi; Biwott, ScholasticaThe Regional Radio Broadcasting (RRC) conference held in Geneva in 2006 culminated in a treaty calling on all nations, Kenya included, shifting to digital terrestrial television (DTT) broadcasting by June 17, 2015. This paper provides a situational analysis of the practical implications of the digital transition in Kenya. To migrate to digital broadcasting, Kenya (government, broadcast companies, and media consumers) had to purchase equipment compatible with the digital platform, a move that proved costly to the majority of Kenyans given the high costs of purchase, installation, and maintenance of digital equipment. The research established that Kenya was not ready for the migration from analogue to digital broadcasting. The review found out that most of the local media houses as well as the majority of Kenyans were not ready to embark on the transition from analogue to digital broadcasting. These results would enable major players in the broadcasting sector to understand the course and implications of digital migration. The research also presents a better foundation upon which other scholars in the field of communication can build their studies and delve into different aspects ofthe topic at hand.Item Establishing Knowledge Gap Issues in Kenya: Why Information for Innovation on Digital Television is Difficult to Access Among Jua Kali Artisans(IOSR Journal of Humanities And Social Science (IOSR-JHSS), 2016-10) Nyamboga, Erneo Nyakundi; Kuria, MartinThe Kenyan engineering artisans a.k.a „ jua kali‟( hot sun) engineering artisans, do not easily and readily find information for innovation in the digital television platform. The researchers, therefore, sought to establish whether engineering content shown in the Kenya digital platform inspires creativity for innovation among this category of engineering artisans who mainly operate from open air spaces and under the hot sun. The study was anchored on the pragmatic research philosophy. The study employed a mixed methods approach and a multiple case study research method. A sample of 60 participants, comprising artisans and media content producers, was studied.The findings showed that 67.9% of the engineering artisans had considered that there is interesting and available innovation content in the digital television platforms. However, there were attitudes that hindered accessibility of useful innovation information from the digital television gadgets. Media producers cited that they had not fully grasped how the digital platform can work. It is hoped that these findings will encourage the production of interesting, innovative content, that will give rise to alternative information sources for engineering artisans.Item Journalists and the rule of law( International Commission of Jurists, 2011) Obonyo, Levi; Nyamboga, Erneo NyakundiJournalism in Kenya is probably as old as the history of the nation itself and precedes many of the professions in the country. Indeed, there is a rich history of the media in the country. What has not kept pace with the development of the field is the equivalent development of resources to enable the field to be more effective. For instance, it was not until after independence, with the establishment of the Kenya Institute of Mass Communication that training of journalists started in Kenya in earnest. Even then, that training was terminated at the diploma level meaning that thought was still focused on producing mid-level industry personnel. It was a decade later when further training beyond the diploma qualification was offered in Kenya. But even more challenging for the field is that while the training was being offered there was never a concurrent development of resources to facilitate the training and adapt it to the Kenyan context. Technical training was a turn key technology with buttons being pointed to trainees who often only knew how to switch on and off the equipment they operated. But even more serious was the lack of efforts by those in the field to contextualize training by producing training material relevant to the nation’s needs. Textbooks were still imported with examples used in class remaining largely incidents that took place in far fluItem Journalists’ Perceptions of Opportunities for Integration of New Media for Professional Use: A Study of Three Mainstream Newspapers in Kenya(African Multidisciplinary Journal of Research (AMJR), 2020) Nyamboga, Erneo Nyakundi; Elizabeth, Gitonga; Charles, Ong’ondoThe study evaluated journalists’ perception of opportunities for integration of various new media platforms for professional use. Print media journalists in Kenya and the world over have adopted new media technologies for professional journalism. However, a review of relevant literature shows that little research has emerged on the current integration practices targeting the three media houses combined. The study was guided by Everett Rogers’ Diffusion of Innovations theory. The qualitative multiple case study design was adopted. A sample size of 15 journalists drawn from both the print and online teams was selected purposively from three mainstream newspapers in Kenya. Data was generated using in-depth interviews, analysed thematically and presented in a narrative form. The study revealed that new media platforms have emerged as powerful tools of journalism across the mainstream print media in Kenya. Some of the opportunities cited in the use of new media are expanded tools for news gathering and new channels for dissemination of information to audiences. And of the various social media platforms, Twitter and Facebook and Whatsapp were the most widely used by journalists in Kenya for finding sources, story ideas and distribution of their journalism, among other uses. Legacy journalists were, however, slow in embracing new media while correspondents and those with personal drive saw new media platforms as an opportunity to improve their journalism. The study recommends research on the kinds of trainings offered to journalists to become fully multi-skilled. A further study on the problems facing journalists as they interact with the newest technologies would also be relevant.Item Libel Litigation and Its Impact on Journalists’ Exercise of Freedom of Expression at Two Newspaper Publications in Kenya(The International Journal Of Humanities & Social Studies, 2015-11) Nyamboga, Erneo NyakundiIn countries that espouse the rule of law, interpersonal communication has to contend with legislation and ethical codes that allow for freedom of expression with limits. One such legal limit to expressive freedom is respect for the reputation of others. Courts of law and other administrative bodies exist to determine if there has been a violation of the right to reputation in the course of expressive freedom, and mete appropriate criminal and civil penalties on the culpable. This paper examines the communication dynamics in journalists’ subsequent sourcing, processing and dissemination of news and information against the backdrop of threats to sue, suits and the courts’ imposition of civil penalties on a newspaper defendant. The results of the inquiry conducted in Kenya show, among others things, that fear of being sued for defamation influenced newspaper content in terms of the quantity (removal of some material), quality (watering down stories) and structure (page placement of news articles). In a nutshell, some stories, including those of great public interest, were not published because of the threat of a libel action.Item New Technologies and Journalistic Practices at the Time of COVID-19 in Africa(Advances in Journalism and Communication, 2023) Paluku Kamili, Jean-Paul; Nyamboga, Erneo Nyakundi; Nyaole-Kowuor, RosemaryAbstract This article aimed to show how new information technologies have influenced and innovated journalism practice during COVID-19 in terms of collecting, processing and disseminating news and information. The study was literature based. A literature-based study primarily relies on existing published literature rather than collecting primary data through experiments or surveys. The findings reveal that the management of new information technologies has led to the rise of infodemia, a phenomenon of misinformation that disrupts the informational ecosystem due to the prevalence of erroneous or misleading news. As a result, the media’s role as a watchdog is compromised. Infodemia has become the most prominent dimension of this challenge, with traditional media struggling to maintain their status as reliable source of information amidst the influence of amateur journalism on social media. The traditional media plays a crucial role in covering COVID-19 but faces challenges in producing and disseminating accurate information due to the specialization of journalism and the shortage of specialists. The emergence of new categories of journalistic practices, including terrorist journalism, diversionary journalism, ideological journalism, and journalism as a business, poses a major threat to the credibility, trust, and timeliness of real news. New technologies, particularly social media, have filled the void left by traditional media and facilitated the spread of fake news and rumors. Despite the challenges, information and communication technologies have brought innovation to journalistic practices in raising awareness against COVID-19 in Africa. The study provides several recommendations based on its findings. Traditional media outlets in Africa are recommended to prioritize hiring and training specialist journalists to cover health-related topics, establishing measures to combat the spread of fake news and rumors related to COVID-19, continuing to adapt to the use of new technologies in disseminating information, upholding ethical standards in reporting, and prioritizing public health awareness and prevention. Lastly, the study suggests the need for further research to better understand the impact of new communication technologies on journalistic practices in Africa in the context of COVID-19.Item Social Media in Kenyan Journalism: Benefits, Opportunities and Challenges(IOSR Journal Of Humanities And Social Science (IOSR-JHSS), 2014-12) Nyamboga, Erneo NyakundiAdvances in technology have contributed a lot to the growth of journalism worldwide. Sourcinginformation and disseminating information has been made easy by the internet. Social media especially has made it possible for journalists and others to publish, share and discuss news events.This paper discusses social media use in Kenya with regard to its forms, benefits, opportunities it provides and challenges faced by media users especially in the Kenyan journalism sector.Item To Be Charged Again: Spotting of Fake News by Televion Stations in Kenya(African Journal of Education, Science and Technology, 2021-05) Matu, Nguri; John, Kabucua; Nyamboga, Erneo NyakundiFake news is a major threat to credibility, trust, and speed of real news owing to its ability to spread fast, camouflage real news, spur ethnic conflicts, sabotage businesses and mislead voters. While there is empirical evidence that dissemination of fake news on social media and enactments of anti-fake news laws are on the rise globally, most of the empirical studies on fake news continue to focus on its political impacts and presence on social media. News television stations work under the premise of trust, credibility and speed now threatened by fake news hence the need to explore how they spot it. The specific research question was: How do news television stations in Kenya spot fake news?. The Gate keeping theory aided conceptualization of this study. The study adapted a relativist-constructivist/interpretivist philosophical paradigm hence qualitative approach and multiple case study method. The target population comprised of reporters and editors. A sample size of 16 participants from two television stations was selected using purposive sampling technique. Data was generated through in depth interviews and observations. Data was analysed thematically and presented in narrative form based on themes. The findings show that television stations spot fake news through counterchecking and verification, instinct, delays, online reverse search, calling the source, evaluating source’s credibility, chains of gate keepers, and editorial social media groups. Despite the numerous spotting practices fake news had permeated and aired on television resulting in court charges, fines, apologies and sacking of journalists. This study concludes that practices of spotting fake news by television stations in Kenya are incoherent, informal and weakly anchored on policy documents thus insufficient. Therefore, recommends that editorial boards establish standard and well documented practices for spotting fake news to arrest its growing threat to trust in news and journalism.