Media Coverage and Conflict Management: the Case of Kenya-uganda Conflict Over Migingo Island

Abstract

The study general objective was to examine the role of media coverage in dispute management a case study of Kenya-Uganda disagreement over Migingo Island. The objectives were to establish the role of media in informing the public during disagreement over Migingo Island, to examine the role of media diplomacy in management of Migingo Island dispute as well as to establish the challenges media faces in covering disagreement over Migingo Island conflict. The study was based on libertarian. Mixed research designs were used that is the Ex-post facto research and Phenomenology research designs. The target populace for the study was 1000 residents in Migingo Island and 60 news editors. Simple random sampling was employed to sample 100 residents and 18 news editors. The data was collected using questionnaires and interview schedule. Research instrument reliability was tested through Cronbach’s Alpha Coefficient method. Data was analyzed both quantitatively and qualitatively. Findings established that: there is significant relationship between media coverage and dispute management of Migingo Island (r=840, p=0.000), there is significant relationship between media diplomacy and dispute management of Migingo Island (r=761, p=0.000) and there is significant relationship between media challenges and dispute management of Migingo Island (r=506, p=0.004).The study recommends that; a media and conflict/dispute policy should be established to comprise of procedures for authenticating data before live airing, scrutinizing of live broadcasts and cross checking of paid-for adverts to refrain from airing provocative messages, the government should establish media laws that are not very restrictive in order for the media to play a more significant role in dispute resolution and peace building in conjunction with other stakeholders and the media firms should introduce trainings to their reporters on ethics of media professionalism to curb the media in causing chaos rather be peace makers.