Beyond media multiplicity: cross media ownership and the threat to news content diversity in Kenya: the case of the Nation Media group and the standard group

Abstract

The project seeks to examine the relationship between media ownership and the diversity in news coverage that is disseminated to the public. With the rapid increase of cross media ownership in Kenya where some companies operate newspapers, TV stations and radio stations all at once, the future and credibility of the Kenyan media is questionable. Although the democratization process in the early 1990s was accompanied by multiplicity of media houses, this has not necessarily translated into diversity of viewpoint due to cross ownership of media houses.

This cross ownership of newspapers and TV stations in the same market has diluted the whole concept of multiplicity of voices. The TV stations' end up broadcasting a summary of what is contained in the newspapers hence not . giving the public any news at all.

There is no law in Kenya to regulate cross media ownership. The market has become free for all with no "new news" at all. We therefore recommend that there is need for a law to regulate cross media ownership so that the public can have diverse news.

This study is timely as the government is in the process of collecting views on the issue of cross media ownership. The ministry of communication and information has a bill ready to present to the Kenyan parliament to implement a law to outlaw cross media ownership. This study will therefore contribute immensely to the ongoing debates taking into account that very little has been written on the Kenyan media.