Media representation of muslims in the context of terrorism: Audience’s view on print news coverage of terrorism attacks in Kenya

Abstract

Many studies on media representation of Muslims in the context of terrorism have been conducted extensively with in-depth analyses, highlighting different regions of the world. However, few studies to establish the perception of non-Muslims on Muslims in regards to terrorism have been conducted in Kenya on the audience’s view on print media news reporting of terror attacks that happened after 2011 when Kenya raided Al-Shabaab in Somalia. Therefore, the research filled this gap by assessing, from the audience’s perspective, the portrayal of the Muslim community by the mainstream newspapers in their reporting of the six attacks. The study further interrogated the impact of the portrayal. The newspapers studied were, Nation, Standard, and Star. The study used a descriptive research design. Qualitative and Qualitative approaches were utilised for the Mixed method of data collection. For qualitative data, 30 key informants were purposely selected from security experts, media scholars, journalists, and terrorism experts. For quantitative data, 1, 199 questionnaires were administered to households in Nairobi, Garissa, and Mombasa counties. Quantitatively, the data were presented in forms of tables and texts, and analysed using descriptive analysis while the qualitative data were analysed through content analysis. The study contributes to Africa’s Agenda 2063 of an integrated, prosperous, and peaceful Africa. It also promotes Sustainable Development Goal 16 of peace, justice, and strong institutions, and enhances both political and social pillars of Kenya’s Vision 2030.