| dc.description.abstract | Agenda-setting is based on the belief that media do not control what we think but do influence what we think about (Dearing & Rogers, 1996). If an issue is 'salient' and receives frequent and/or expansive coverage by media, it is likely that the audience will think more about that particular issue than one that is not as salient. The media therefore can exert power often by controlling information and communication, thus limiting what will and what will not be contemplated by decision-makers. This study based its assumption on the agenda setting theory to investigate the role of the Print Media in reporting on Internally Displaced People (lDPs) in Kenya. One hundred and eighty publications of the Standard were sampled randomly in the year 2008.
The analysis consisted of counting and classifying types of content. While information was gathered about the entire paper such as number of pages and number of sections, the bulk of the analysis focused on each content item in depth. Each article was analyzed in terms of characteristics such as topic, sources, treatment, geographic focus, photos and themes. Publications analyzed revealed that the Standard media group did not lay adequate emphasis on the weighty issue of Internally Displaced Persons. As a result, the government's attention was shifted elsewhere leaving the salient matter unattended and people living in camps up to date. | en_US |
