THE IMPACT OF POLITICAL JOURNALISM IN SHAPING THE POLITICAL AFFILIATIONS AMONG KENYAN YOUTH

Abstract

ABSTRACT It is almost a guarantee that in every bulletin, political stories are always given priority over other stories. This is important because in simple terms politics have a direct impact on people and therefore political reporting should be a pathway towards a better understanding of politics which should lead to proper decision making. However, do these intense political reporting shape the political landscape in Kenya? Do political reporting have any tangible influence in helping Kenyan youth make decisions on their own particularly on matters of leadership and governance? This research therefore aims at showing the relationship between political journalism and the political affiliations among Kenyan youth. In this research, I will look at the diverse sources of information ranging from radio, television, newspapers and the internet as influencers of decision making. By looking at these diverse media, it will help me get diverse views on the issue under discussion which is essential in meeting my objectives. Also, I will look at the coverage of the stories based on the pillars of information, education and entertainment. The study will focus on the Kenyan youth for three key reasons which are: The youth in Kenya hold the majority votes and therefore lack of proper and adequate information on political matters may lead to poor decision making among them and therefore poor leadership. The Kenyan youth are also very vulnerable to political swaying since most of them do not have adequate knowledge on political matters and therefore cannot make concrete decisions on their own. Lastly, the youth are being groomed to take up the mantle in the days ahead and therefore adequate and credible information on leadership and governance is essential for them so that the leadership of the future impacts positively on the people. Therefore, I will use the students of Maasai Mara University as my sample population. In this study, I will apply random sampling technique to gather information. This method will work well since it will help in gathering diverse views which will help me make some general remarks before moving to the specific objectives. My sample size will comprise of 100 students of Maasai Mara University since they fall within the youth category of 18-35 years old and have the ability make decisions on their own. During the time of data collection, I will use Interviews and Questionnaires as my data collection instruments. In the case of interviews, I will conduct one on 5 one interviews with different people of both genders to get first-hand information on their take on matters of political journalism and political affiliations. I will use questionnaires to get information from many sources particularly where confidential information is required. Once the data is collected, I will keenly record it on the tables while identifying the variables in the data. I will apply statistical formulas in analyzing and making calculations of the data collected while giving meaning at every step. After the analysis, I will present the information on pie charts and histograms and explain the findings comprehensively. Key findings will also be shown and keenly explained to give meaning. I will then publish a final report containing the key findings, conclusions and recommendations before I present it to the supervisor