Media Framing Of Kenya Defence Forces in Operation Linda Nchi
Date
2021-10
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Daystar University, School of Communication. Nairobi
Abstract
The media plays an increasingly important role in how the military conducts warfare. There have been reports of failure by military to appropriately integrate and coordinate with media leading to the compromise of national security, operational security, and the deterioration of public trust and confidence because of how media frames military operations. This study's main purpose was to establish how newspapers in Kenya covered and framed the military Operation Linda Nchi. Specifically, the study sought to find the dominant and prominent images of Operation Linda Nchi as framed by Kenya newspapers (Daily Nation, The Standard, The Star and East African), establish the types of frames used in imaging Operation Linda Nchi by the media, establish trends in the framing of Operation Linda Nchi in the media over the period of five months and finally determine the frequency of Operation Linda Nchi stories in each of the newspapers during the period of study. The study utilized framing theory and agenda setting theories. Content analysis, a method used to describe communication content in a quantitative or numerical form, was used in this study with a coding sheet as data collection instrument. A total of 503 articles in all the selected newspapers mentioned Operation Linda Nchi. The findings showed that the military operation was constructed disparately by different newspaper articles. Going to war with al-Shabaab was framed as a win by Kenyan military. Al-Shabaab was presented as a violent group and threat to Kenya. Besides, the sheer volume of coverage devoted to Operation Linda Nchi and some newspaper articles were more likely to use the military conflict and violence of war frame; others emphasized the rebuilding of Somalia frame. The study concludes that articles with conflict frames contain more interventionism and less strategic framing, more journalistic intervention in quality newspapers and less substantive news stories.
Description
MASTER OF ARTS
in Communication
Keywords
Media Framing, Kenya Defence Forces, Operation Linda Nchi
Citation
Muiru, P. N. (2021, thesis). Media Framing Of Kenya Defence Forces in Operation Linda Nchi. Daystar University, School of Communication. Nairobi