Dear kenyans, this is just a reminder that a majority of the mainstream media you consume is either owned by or has owners closely affiliated to politicians odipodev is a data analytics and research firm operating out of nairobi. Nov 01, 2018 the politics of media ownership in kenya. Dear kenyans, this is just a reminder that a majority of the mainstream media you consume is either owned by or has owners closely affiliated to politicians. It examines the media through the lens of the public policy debates about limits on the number and type of media outlets that a single firm can own. Feb 25, 2016 the political ownership of media outlets can act against the requirement for a fiercely independent media especially during election times nyanjom, 2012. Strengthening accountability through media in kenya. Instituted in 20, devolution in kenya seeks to bring government closer to the people by devolving political and economic resources to kenyas fortyseven county governments. The media we want the media vulnerabilities study report 17. Contemporary research demonstrates increasing levels of consolidation, with many media industries already highly concentrated and dominated by a very small number of. Government, indepth interview, media, news, politicians, private officials 1.
Media ownership and elections ownership has an enormous bearing on the nature of a media outlets elections coverage or, for that matter, any political coverage. The increased presence of chinese media in africa has been the focus of much debate since the early 2010s. Ownership patterns of mass media linkedin slideshare. It is best suited for smallscale media houses, be it newspaper or news channel. Therefore, public as well as private sector both plays an important role in the growth of nation. Doc effects of media ownership, commercialization and. Odipodev the politics of media ownership in kenya the. Journalists view the existing media policies, coupled with the. Yet we do not classifykenya times as state owned, because if there were a change of government the ownership would remain with kanu. Media ownership and concentration in south africa oxford. Media ownership and the coverage of the 20 general.
Through this work, bbc media action aimed to strengthen the capacity of kenyas media sector to produce governance programming that supported and mainstreamed the overall objectives of the project at both the local and national level. Democracy at the crossroads t his research explores the relationship between journalistic freedom and media concentration in kenya through the lens of the propaganda model baker, 2007 as well as the media ownership theory, as propounded by shoemaker and reese 1991. Some media companies are characterised by horizontal integration or cross media ownership this refers to the fact that global media corporations often cross media boundaries and invest in a wide range of media products. Examining the influence of media ownership concentration on radio programing diversity in kenya international journal of media, journalism and mass communications ijmjmc page 30 4. State media ownership found in iran, north korea, peoples republic of china, belarus and middle east countries 2.
The impact of kenyas legal and institutional frameworks. Discussions tend to revolve around issues of production and content, providing little evidence on the way audiences decode media messages aimed at extending chinas soft power. Instituted in 20, devolution in kenya seeks to bring government closer to the people by devolving political and economic resources to kenya s fortyseven county governments. The media we want the media vulnerabilities study report 3 contents 1. Ht media has shares in bse, nse, kk birla group has 69% stake in ht media, ht manages newspaper, radio etc. After a quick look at the south african media scene, the chapter analyzes print media newspapers, book publishing, magazine publishing, audiovisual media radio, broadcast television, multichannel tv platforms, video channels, film, telecommunications media wireline and wireless telecom, and internet media internet. Media ownership in kenya media ownership in kenya traces to the coming of missionaries and colonialism. Amartya 2000 argues that no substantial famine has ever occurred in any country with a democratic form of government and a relatively free press. The media that exists in our country is heavily influenced by the ownership form it takes. In kenya, the ruling party, the kenyan african national union kanu, is the ultimate owner of the daily newspaper the kenya times, the countrys fourth largest daily. The media is also regulated by the kenya film classification board, a state corporation under the ministry of information, communication and technology ict which is mandated by the films and stage plays act cap 222 laws of kenya to regulate the creation, possession, broadcasting, exhibition and distribution of films in kenya. Mar 06, 2017 company ownership pattern in this type of ownership, the company owns the media.
The growth of these movements led directly to the birth of small newspapers. The political ownership of media outlets can act against the requirement for a fiercely independent media especially during election times nyanjom, 2012. Media ownership patterns the ownership of the mass media namely. Political media ownership in kenya 2012 facilitate subsection 5, the bill bars all public servants and political of.
The influence of media ownership and control on media agenda. He is a researcher and private consultant on a wide range of development issues. Media ownership and the coverage of the 20 general election in kenya. Private media ownership found in the us, uk, australia, japan, philippines. Medijsko lastnistvo vpliv lastnistva na neodvisnost in pluralizem medijev v sloveniji in drugih postsocialistienih evropskih dr. Commercialisation, deregulation, internationalisation, media concentration, convergence and other profitoriented trends are likely to widen the gap between what. The influence of media ownership and control on media agenda setting in nigeria international journal of humanities social sciences and education ijhsse page 38 3. Media ownership media ownership impact on media independence and pluralism in slovenia and other postsocialist european countries sandra b. The impact of kenyas legal and institutional frameworks on. The media council act, 20 and the kenya information and communications amendment act, 20 association of media women in kenya. Yet, the media can be an agency of destruction, as some have alleged over kenyas 200708 post.
The politics of media ownership in kenya by odipodev dear kenyans, this is just a reminder that a majority of the mainstream media you consume is either owned by or has owners closely a. Dear kenyans, this is just a reminder that a majority of the mainstream. The africans on the other hand, later venture into the media ownership basically to use the media as tools for putting across their demands for freedom. State and government owned media are under direct state or ruling party control and may therefore tend toward favouring incumbent parties or candidates. Ownership and control of the media sociology revision. Media ownership preface the issues of media ownership concentration and the formulation and implementation of an effective media legislation received considerable attention in recent years.
Newscorp, for example, owns newspapers, magazines, book publishers, terrestrial and satellite television channels and film. What are the three different systems of media ownership. The same company tends to have listed shares in the share market. Published by the association of media women in kenya laws governing media practice in kenya a journalists handbook this publication is a simpli. Concentration of media ownership also known as media consolidation or media convergence is a process whereby progressively fewer individuals or organizations control increasing shares of the mass media. The asians later ventured into the business of ownership of some sections of the media. Hundreds of local and regional radio and television stations comprise the u. Kenya executive summary th e new constitution of kenya, promulgated in august 2010, is considered a major positive development in ensuring the free. Media ownership is sometimes seen as a simple reflection of political conditions. Media culture and environment a historical perspective 37 8. Who owns media in kenya and what are the implications of this.
The top headlines covers politics, citizen journalism, culture, business, sports and. We examine the patterns of media ownership in 97 countries around the world. The media in kenya, particularly media owners, are both excited and resistant to the. There is a grain of truth in this, but it is clear that the reality is much more complex. Methodology the study was conducted in nairobi at the headquarters of the royal media group, media max and the kenya broadcasting corporation. There are a number of factors such as content distribution, profits etc. Kenya broadcasting corporation, whose board and management are directly appointed by the government, the nominally private kenya television network is owned by the same company which publishes the kenya times, the daily newspaper of.
After a quick look at the south african media scene, the chapter analyzes print media newspapers, book publishing, magazine publishing, audiovisual media radio, broadcast television, multichannel tv platforms, video channels, film, telecommunications media wireline and wireless telecom, and internet. Media ownership and democracy in the digital information age. This paper examines the status of broadcast media in kenya under the new information. Censorship in kenya article 19 defending freedom of. The media we want the media vulnerabilities study report contents 1. Ownership patterns of mass media india follows socialism and has mixed economy. Media ownership and the coverage of the 20 general election. It provides for freedom of media as a right and fundamental freedom. Who owns media in kenya and what are the implications of. Trends of ownership and control of media in south africa version 3. The standard breaking news, kenya news, world news and. Therefore, before any media ownership laws were enacted, colonialism.
Kenyas number one website that delivers realtime news across the globe. This article uses data from seven focus groups with media and communication university students in kenya and south africa to explore the efficacy of chinesemediated public diplomacy. Free press slams fcc report on the abysmal state of broadcast ownership diversity and urges action. Discover the most extensive kenya newspaper and news media guide on the internet. Foreign ownership in media is restricted both by aippa and the broadcasting services act bsa, which applies to the broadcasting sector. However, today kenya has a plural, sophisticated and robust mass media and communication sector that serves the various competing political, social, economic. The report adds that in the run up to the 2007 general elections, the kenyan media was seen as partisan because of political interference in editorial content. Therefore, he takes responsibility for all the policy making decisions and is also accountable for them. Media owners with strong political affiliations tend to be politically coopted. A high concentration of the media market increases the chances to reduce the plurality of political, cultural and social points of views. Analysis suggests that media and journalism in kenya face highly complex and changing. Union kanu, is the ultimate owner of the daily newspaper the kenya. Mapping structural conditions of journalism in kenya mecodem.
Furthermore, under article of this act, a transfer of concession to a third party is an o. Some of the forces that influence the media are noted as the government, advertisers, owners, audiences and civil society groups. Political media ownership in kenya 2012 executive summary the media is important as an efficient mirror of societys status, an amplifier of development initiatives, and an agenda setter. Individual ownership pattern in this kind of partnership, the individual has control, which allows him to take decisions for the company. Their main reason was to use the media to legitimize their second place to the whites in kenya. The concentration of media ownership is commonly regarded as one of the crucial aspects reducing media pluralism.
Political media ownership in kenya 2012 about the author othieno nyanjom holds a doctoral degree from the university of sussex, an msc degree from bradford and a bachelors degree from nairobi. This also goes back to media ownership issues, and, according to one panelist, in kenya some media owners also have criminal interests which makes it difficult. Within the media watch program, we drew attention to the threat these issues pose to media pluralism in 2002 based on. Media and democracy in africa mutual political bedfellows or implacable archfoes jimmy ocitti, ph. The influence of media ownership and control on media. The study targeted the media in kenya consisting of the various print and broadcast outlets and the forces that influence it. Individual ownership pattern in this kind of partnership, the individual has control. This chapter describes media ownership and concentration in south africa.
They were the first to collect and record african folklore, proverbs, songs and drum beats that were used to communicate. We show that chinese media have little impact on students information habits, demonstrate that attitudes toward china are predominantly negative, and argue. Kenyas two foremost media houses nation media group nmg and stan. May 10, 2020 kenya s number one website that delivers realtime news across the globe.
Influences of media ownership patterns on media freedom and professionalism in nigeria independence led the people to organize nationalist movements. Media ownership and its impact on media independence and. The top headlines covers politics, citizen journalism, culture, business, sports and entertainment. What are the three different systems of media ownership answers. Odipodev the politics of media ownership in kenya the elephant. Sep 29, 2017 ownership patterns of mass media india follows socialism and has mixed economy. How media ownership and advertising curb critical reporting attempts to control the media in kenya date back to at least 1929, with transmission of the first radio signal by the british east african broadcasting corporation, which served the interests of the colonial government. Section 5 synthesises the issues that arise and section 6 draws conclusions and makes recommendations for the future. The current debate over media ownership limits this book presents a critical view of the current state of commercial mass media in america. Most western european democracies, for example, had a state. Fellow 19981999 fellows program weatherhead center for international affairs harvard university 1737 cambridge street, cambridge, ma 028 july 1999.
Introduction the media and communication are closely related. How kenya is failing to uphold its commitment to a free press. Free press slams fcc report on the abysmal state of broadcastownership diversity and urges action. Although the bsa allows for the licensing of private broadcasters, the licensing authority, the broadcasting.
Media ownership will continue to present numerous challenges to editorial independence. Trends of ownership and control of media in south africa. Trump tries, tries again to defund noncommercial media. Odipodev is a data analytics and research firm operating out of nairobi.