Browsing by Author "Muturi, Ruth K."

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    An Investigation into The Key Competencies Required for The Practice of Journalism in Kenya
    (Daystar University, School of Communication, 2021-11) Muturi, Ruth K.
    Globally, there has been an ongoing debate on the journalism profession, with some arguing that a disconnect exists between the profession and academia. Available evidence suggests that the media industry has seen a decline in specialization and a corresponding rise of the generalist. Industry players have complained that journalists that are released to the marketplace are lacking in multimedia and basic technological skills. Simply put, they lack competency skills. Therefore, this study investigated key competencies required for the practice of journalism in Kenya. The following objectives guided the study: to explore the extent of journalists’ innovation in the practice of journalism in Kenya, find out levels of technological knowledge of journalists practicing journalism in Kenya, investigate emerging job skills and attributes critical for the practice of journalism in Kenya, and examine skills gaps identified among journalism graduates in Kenya. The study design was descriptive. Quantitative and qualitative data were obtained from a sample of 139 comprising journalists and editors. According to the results, journalists enter into newsrooms with little skills, resulting in retraining by the employer. Also, an interview with editors confirmed that they (editors) are always keen to notice journalism graduates with mastery of required skills and competencies as they join their organizations. Moreover, results indicated Pearson r=184.619 and p=0.001. A strong positive correlation was established between journalism competencies and the likelihood that employers often consider journalists’ innovation, technological knowledge, and the emerging job skills and attributes critical to journalism in Kenya. Based on the results, the study recommends that media outlets work closely with journalism schools to ensure that journalism graduates get both theory and practical aspects of training so that they can perform better in a media environment.