Citizen Journalism and Conflict News Reporting
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CITIZEN JOURNALISM AND CONFLICT NEWS REPORTING: A CASE STUDY OF THE GARISSA UNIVERSITY TERROR ATTACK ABDULLAHI JAMILA MOHAMED R52/76373/2014 A RESEARCH PROJECT SUBMITTED TO THE INSTITUTE OF DIPLOMACY AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES (IDIS), UNIVERISTY OF NAIROBI, IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTERS OF ARTS IN INTERNATIONAL CONFLICT MANAGEMENT (ICM) NOVEMBER 2016 DECLARATION This project is my original work and has not been presented in any other university. SIGN___________________ DATE: _____________ ABDULLAHI JAMILA MOHAMED This project has been submitted for examination with my approval as university supervisor. SIGN__________________ DATE: __________________ DR.PATRICK MALUKI ii DEDICATION To my husband Ahmed, children Nasteha, Amin, Mohamed, Abdulhakim, Rahma and my mum Zaynab, you make me strive to a better person, one you can all be proud of. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS My thanks to God, Almighty for the gift of life and the guidance throughout my life. To my husband, Ahmed, without whom I would not be able to do any of this. Thank you for the time, attention and guidance in all my endeavors. My sincere thanks to my mum, Zainab for always being there to guide and remind me about the important things in life. To my children, for teaching me patience and humility. I recognize and appreciate the University of Nairobi through the Institute of Diplomacy and International Studies (IDIS) for the opportunity to study therein. A special thank you to the Professors and Lecturers especially my supervisor Dr. Patrick Maluki, who guided me in this thesis and with whom I share the success. My sincere appreciation to the Sasakawa Fellowship for the sponsorship to pursue the study. I also appreciate the management of Nation Media Group for the support during the course of my studies. Without the support my pursuit of this Masters Degree would not have been possible. Finally, I would like to thank the ICM 2014 class for the friendship, guidance, brainstorming sessions and encouragement. It is an honor and privilege to have your friendship in my life. iv TABLE OF CONTENT DECLARATION .......................................................................................................... ii DEDICATION ............................................................................................................. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ............................................................................................ iv ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................... viii CHAPTER ONE .......................................................................................................... 1 1.0 Introduction .......................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Background to the study ...................................................................................... 1 1.2 Statement of the Problem ..................................................................................... 6 1.3 Objectives of the Study ........................................................................................ 8 1.4 Research Hypotheses ........................................................................................... 9 1.5 Literature Review................................................................................................. 9 1.5.1 Reactions on terrorism and media policy .................................................... 11 1.6 Theoretical Framework ...................................................................................... 17 1.7 Research Methodology .......................................................................................... 19 1.9 Data Collection ...................................................................................................... 20 1.10 Scope and Limitation of the Study....................................................................... 20 1.11 Chapter Outline .................................................................................................... 20 CHAPTER TWO ....................................................................................................... 21 HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF CITIZEN JOURNALISM ....................... 21 2.0: Introduction ....................................................................................................... 21 2.1 Theoretical application....................................................................................... 21 2.2 Citizen Journalism ............................................................................................. 21 2.3 Mass Media and Terrorism ................................................................................ 24 CHAPTER THREE ................................................................................................... 28 OVERVIEW OF THE IMPACT OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON DISSEMINATION OF INFORMATION ................................................................................................. 28 3.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................ 28 3.2 Gap in regulation on the dissemination of information in the public domain. .. 32 3.3 Citizen journalism and the Media ...................................................................... 34 CHAPTER FOUR ...................................................................................................... 42 v CRITICAL ANALYSIS ............................................................................................ 42 4.0: Introduction ....................................................................................................... 42 4.1 Overview of the Impact of Social Media on Dissemination of Information ..... 42 4.1.1 ICT and Citizen Journalism ........................................................................ 42 4.1.2 Media and Citizen Journalism .................................................................... 48 4.1.3 Policies Governing Media ........................................................................... 51 4.6 Regulation on the Dissemination of Information in the Public Domain ........... 53 4.7 Effects of Citizen Journalism on Terrorism Reporting ...................................... 55 4.8 Recommendations .............................................................................................. 57 4.9 Historical Coverage of Terrorism ...................................................................... 59 4.10 Framing the Narrative: Definitions of “Terrorism” ......................................... 65 4.11 Avoiding Harm: The News Media’s Relationship to Terrorism ..................... 68 4.12 Verification and Transparency ......................................................................... 72 4.13 Reshaping the Newsroom ................................................................................ 73 4.13.1 Getting To the Truth ................................................................................. 76 4.13.2 Transparency in Breaking News ............................................................... 77 4.13.3 Using the Right Language ........................................................................ 80 4.13.4 Working with Social Media ...................................................................... 86 4.13.5 Avoiding Harm, Relations with Authorities ............................................. 88 4.13.6 Not Helping the Terrorist .......................................................................... 91 4.13.7 Geographical Bias ..................................................................................... 94 4.14 Quality, Context, and Constructive Reporting ................................................. 96 4.14.1 The Power of the Platforms .................................................................... 101 4.14.2 The Platforms and Breaking News ......................................................... 105 4.14.3 Live streaming ........................................................................................ 109 4.14.4 How the Platforms Handle Risk and Responsibility .............................. 111 4.14.5 Shaping the Narrative: Filter Bubbles and Polarization ......................... 113 4.15 Guarding Journalism ...................................................................................... 115 CHAPTER FIVE ..................................................................................................... 118 SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ......................... 118 5.1 Introduction ...................................................................................................... 118 5.2 Discussion ........................................................................................................ 118 vi 5.3 Conclusion ....................................................................................................... 121 5.4 Recommendation ............................................................................................. 123 5.5 Suggestion for further research ........................................................................ 123 APPENDICES ........................................................................................................... 125 Appendix I: Interview Guide ................................................................................. 125 vii ABSTRACT This section provides global, regional and national perspectives