Effective Environmental Reporting in Kenya: a Content Analysis of the People Daily Newspaper.

Abstract

Past studies conducted to analyze environmental articles in the mass media found that they tended to present superficial and inadequate stories on the environment (l 'NIP 1988, Ozoh 1992, Nyirenda 1992, Kaberia 1991). Kenyan journalists attending a workshop on "Training of Environmental Journalists" (Karembu 1999) gave responses that showed they lacked in-depth knowledge of environmental issues. Apart from missing out on the global environmental concerns- they also failed to link environmental conditions to socio-economic issues. Similar observations have held that the mass media have carried over their traditional preference for sensationalism into environmental reporting. Consequently, (Lumbe 1999) notes that the media today deals too much with environmental problems and too little with solutions. In this study we have conducted a content analysis of the weekly Environment pages of the People Daily between January to June 2001. Investigations focused on balanced reporting of environmental issues, linking of <f11Vironmental problems with socioeconomic issues and provision of solutions.