Print Media Coverage of Collapsing Structures in Nairobi County: the Case of the Nation and the Standard Newspapers

Abstract

The study sought to analyze the coverage of disaster in Kenya by print with reference to collapsing building. The study sought to establish how priming of disaster by the media in Kenya; determine priority reporting by print media for awareness creation of disaster in Kenya; assess the consistency in coverage of disaster in Kenya and compare and coverage of disaster between Nation Media Group and Standard Media Group on collapsing building. The study employed a descriptive study research design which involved looking at data from a population at one specific point in time. The target population for this study was disaster stories and related reporting that were covered by the two leading newspapers with a nationwide circulation (Daily Nation and Standard Newspaper) in the year 2015. Through purposive sampling method 24 articles were selected from each of the two newspapers on disaster stories and related reporting. The study also used purposive select 8 key informants (2 News editors and 2 Managing editors) from both Daily Nation and Standard Newspaper. The study developed comprehensive codebook that contained codes with set of categories and sub categories guided by content genre. Quantitative data was collected through the use of semi-structured interview guide that was administered to Key Informants. The unit of Analysis is each story/article on collapsing structures and included hard News (Features, Editorial, Opinion, News Analyses, Cartoon, New Brief on collapsing Structures in Nairobi). The qualitative data was analyzed using content analysis which is a method that assisted in replicable and valid inferences by interpreting and coding textual information and critically evaluating Newspapers articles and stories on collapsing buildings in Kenya. Based on content of quantitative data the analysis was done through thematic contextual analysis which also applied in order to draw conclusion according to the study objective and variables under investigation. The results indicated that the news of collapsing buildings are primed by the two newspapers, they are prioritized on the first day of their happening although in subsequent publications are not centered and they are not placed on the first page. The results also indicated that positioning of stories and photos of collapsing buildings in strategic areas of the newspaper pagers contributes to the effectiveness on the issues being reported. the number of victims held in the debris and duration that it takes to rescue them victims influenced the duration that both Nation Media Group and The Standard Group Media Newspapers covered the stories on of collapsing buildings in Nairobi and the rescue mission to some extent influenced the number of victims held in the debris influenced the colors and the size of related photos during the coverage by the two media houses. Sometimes priming and prioritizing of news is determined by other competing information (Politics and other stories) determine priming of collapsing buildings. The media houses focus on the stories that enable the newspapers to sell and therefore prime the stories that sell the paper. The study recommended among others, the media need to prioritize disaster reporting in the country in order to effectively use media in disaster management; both the Daily Nation and the Standard Newspapers to identify the determinant issues of priority in coverage on collapsing buildings given that by identifying these issues the media can effectively organize the newspaper in order to prioritize news of collapsing buildings in order to help risk reduction for such disasters. Lastly, there is need for establishing the factors that affect reporting the news on collapsing building given that this will enable media houses to help in effective positioning in the newspapers either in front at the center or page.