Print Media Coverage of Basic Education Issues in Kenya: a Content Analysis of the Nation and Standard Newspapers

Abstract

This study seeks to explore print media coverage of educational issues in Kenya. The study analysed the Nation and the Standard newspapers coverage of educational issues from the month of December 2017 to February 2018.The two newspapers were chosen as they have the highest circulation in Kenya. The study sought to achieve the following objectives; to find out the frequency and prominence of media coverage of educational issues in Kenya, to find out the dominant educational themes in the Kenyan media, to establish audience response to the media coverage of education issues as well as to compare and contrast the Nation and the Standard newspapers coverage of educational issues. The study utilised mixed methods research approach where content analysis of 180 editions of both the Nation and the Standard newspapers over a period of three months were selected purposively from which the relevant articles were extracted. Ten editors and subeditors, five from each of the two newspapers were also interviewed. The study relied on priming and agenda setting theories. The findings revealed that 80.1 % of the coverage was in form of news where the stories were written by journalists from the same media house. Features, opinions, editorials and letters to the editor that gives readers in-depth information and more say in the newspaper had a combined coverage of 19.9%. It was also established that only 7.4% of the stories were placed on the front page while the bulk of stories were placed in the inside pages (90.7%) of the two newspapers. The stories placed on the front page revolved around issues of examinations, teachers’ strikes and transfers as well as schools’ unrest. Examination was the most dominant theme during the period under study followed by education funding at 30% while curriculum development came third with 16.8%. The study concluded that since more than 80% of the coverage was in form of news, it implies that the two newspapers mainly focuses on publishing news stories about education. The newspapers rarely go deep to interrogate critical issues such as huge free education budgets and infrastructure development. The study recommends that newspapers should endeavour to cover and dig deeper into issues of education in the country and establish guidelines, desks or special columns to basically give readers more say as it pertains to coverage of education in Kenya.