Journalism and Communication Theses and Dissertations

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Browsing Journalism and Communication Theses and Dissertations by Author "Awino, Irene"

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    Witnesses, Victims, Survivors, or Co-oppressors: Transitional Justice as a critical moment of “Truth” for Journalism Practice in Kenya
    (University of Oregon, 2021-04-29) Awino, Irene; Steeves, Leslie
    This study investigates the engagement and participation of journalists in Kenya’s truth-seeking process, set up through the Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission (TJRC). Studies show that journalists are often relegated to the margins in truth-seeking processes. This research re-centers the role of journalists in a transitional justice context and argues that their exclusion from the planning and design of truth commissions hurts the transformative goals of transitional justice. According to the TJRC, the normalization and institutionalization of human rights violations, abuse of power and misuse of public office had contributed to the violence that followed the 2007 election and continued to hold sway in Kenya. Thus, the post-election violence (PEV) was a critical moment, not only for Kenyans, but also for journalists to reassess how their relations with power had contributed to a culture of injustice and inequality. An eclectic theoretical and conceptual framework is employed to underpin scholarly debates on the nexus between journalistic practice, historical injustice and inequality in Kenya. A triangulated methodology was used to gather data: in-depth interviews, a quantitative content analysis, a critical document analysis and a thematic analysis of journalistic testimonies before the Truth Commission. Findings reveal salient features of journalism practice and news paradigms in Kenya during the period of transition and beyond. First, patterns of news coverage revealed how the dominance of political personalities in the news defeated the transitional justice goal of prioritizing victim-centric and justice-centric voices. Second, the TJRC’s rocky engagement with the media coupled with journalistic skepticism of the truth-seeking process and subservience to an elite political media system ensured that the transitional justice period in Kenya was non-transformative in championing social change. Finally, journalists testified about the repressive actions of the state and corporate interests. However, what was not said at this session constitutes a missed opportunity to genuinely confront the truth about journalism in Kenya.