A Critical Analysis of the Coverage of Refugee Rights by the Nation and Standard Newspapers in Kenya

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to analyse print coverage of refugees' rights by print media in Kenya, in order to determine if it is fair. This focus is born out of awareness that experts have observed that human beings in exceptional circumstances and bearing ‘exceptional’ features are often marginalised. Refugees fall in this category. The 1951 Refugee Convention spells out the rights of refugees and the obligations of duty-bearers. International law also spells out the rights and, pertinent to this study, media ethics infers obligations of media practitioners, among them fair coverage, constructive agenda setting, and building. The question this study set out to answer is: Does print media cover refugee rights fairly? To answer this question, the study focused on The Daily Nation and The Standard coverage of refugee rights between 1st January 2023 to 30th July 2024 and analysed samples of refugee rights coverage. Quantitative analysis determined the tally of coverage, positioning, and the amount of space given to refugee rights. Qualitative analysis of texts assessed slanting of coverage, agenda setting, and building. Related to the question of fairness of coverage, the study sought to determine whether media coverage of refugee rights enables the UNHRC, the state, and human rights institutions to protect and promote refugees’ rights. Moreover, the study sought to determine whether media coverage captures the diversity of refugees. The study analysed samples of coverage using the parameters of media values and found that Daily Nation and The Standard coverage of refugee rights was fair and, despite a few instances of unwarranted negative coverage, comprehensive.