Gatekeeping by a National Braodcaster: A Content Analysis of News of the National Television of Burundi

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the amount of government control in news broadcast by the Nationale Television of Burundi. Content analysis was used in this study as a method of research. The study covered news content of January 1, 2009 to December 31, 2010. Fifty-six weeks of Kirundi nightly newscast were randomly constructed which came to 482 news stories. The analysis considered the story position, thus indicated the prominence given to it. The dominant personality within a story was considered, as well as the amount of stories that mentioned corruption, human rights, and security issues, seen as crucial Burundian disease of democracy. The results of the study revealed that: (1) there was an overwhelming attention on presidential and government officials issues and events, which unveiled TNB as a government mouthpiece, and a ‘gatekeeper’; (2) the TNB newscast had such government detractors amnesia, as regards whether or not to cover political parties and their leaders as well as the civil society; and (3) some issues such as corruption, security, and human right were taboos. In other words, political parties and the civil society were marginalized, whilst corruption, security and human rights issues were actually the unsaid of the TNB nightly newscast. On the other hand, it can be implied that press freedom was continuously undermined at TNB. Arguably, the TNB failed to provide a balanced public forum for all political and cultural perspectives. It therefore played the role of lap-dog i.e. less open to the ‘marketplace of ideas’, which kept aside the ‘marginalized’. The principal conclusion was that the TNB was under the control of government officials such as the presidency, including as well the Vices, and ministers. Thus, it needs a reform that would permit a shift from the dominant ideology under which the TNB operates to a pluralist model.