Constructive Journalism & Conflict: Kenya's War on Terror (2010-2020)

The media's portrayal of terrorism in the 21st century has primarily focused on 'global war on terror' narratives, which offer a narrow perspective on the underlying causes, contextual factors, and possible resolutions of violence. Several studies have specifically examined the discourse surrounding terrorism in the media of the United States, United Kingdom, and the Middle East. Nevertheless, there has been limited analysis of media reporting in sub-Saharan Africa despite the presence of notable terrorism-related incidents dating back to at least 1998. Prior research has suggested that the media could do more to contribute to the reconstruction and reconciliation of society by shifting their focus from coverage of the violent repercussions of terrorism to more long-term analysis and solution-oriented reporting. Constructive Journalism is a framework that outlines several approaches that can be used in journalism practice, including peace journalism, contextual journalism, solutions journalism, and restorative journalism. Over the past ten years, the Kenyan media has extensively reported on conflict in the region, focusing on the individuals and groups responsible for acts of terrorism and the consequences of these. However, limited research has been conducted on alternate approaches to news coverage in this area or the potential of Constructive Journalism. This study aims to analyse the coverage of terrorism in Kenyan media to identify any evidence of Constructive Journalism (henceforth COJO) and potential opportunities for COJO interventions in journalism practice. A mixed methods study approach was utilised to analyse terrorism coverage from 2010 to 2020 across significant news outlets. Additionally, interviews were conducted with journalism practitioners to gather their insights on current coverage and the potential for Constructive Journalism practice. The project utilised content and critical discourse analysis to evaluate a longitudinal sample of Kenyan national newspapers. The objective was to analyse and describe the various portrayals of terrorism and assess elements and instances of Constructive Journalism. Subsequently, conducting qualitative semi-structured interviews with journalists allowed for reflection on the findings and identifying potential and constraints to implementing COJO in practice. This study aims to develop a conceptual framework for understanding conflict and Constructive Journalism and provide recommendations for media practitioners in conflict-affected areas. The focus on empirical research from sub-Saharan Africa in international scholarship will benefit media practitioners, researchers, policymakers, and INGOs. Additionally, it will address the existing gap in representation and fulfil the need for more diverse perspectives on journalism research in academic discourse.