| dc.description.abstract | The media in Kenya and other parts of the world have been instrumental in giving the
public information on terrorism. Language used by the media in reporting terrorism is
important in presenting information on incidents of terrorism. However choice of language
in some instances can have adverse effects on readers of news about terrorism including
enmity, suspicion and negative attitude against certain communities and/orreligions. This
research investigated discourse on national and international terrorism in Taifa Leo
newspaper published in Kenya. The main objective was to analyze the discourse of texts
used in reporting terrorism news in the newspaper. The specific objectives were to analyze
choice of language used in reporting terrorism news; find out if the language used has
indicators of bias; analyze its effect on the readers and assess how the editorial policy of the
newspaper influenced the choice of language used in reporting terrorism. The research was
guided by Critical Discourse Analysis theory as expounded by Teun van Dijk (1988),
Norman Fairclough (1989) and Ruth Wodak (2001) . The research design was a blend of
Document Analysis Research and Descriptive. Taifa Leo newspapers covering a period of
one year from October 2010 to November 2011 were studied. Purposive sampling was
employed so that only parts of the newspaper that had reports on terrorism were isolated
and analyzed. Information on the opinion of readers about the news they receive about
terrorism was also gathered and analyzed. A total of 419 readers were included in the study
after a random selection from four major towns where circulation of Taifa Leo is
highest;Mombasa, Nairobi, Nakuru and Mumias. This was a representation of the Coastal,
Central, Rift Valley and Western regions of Kenya. Reporters who write on terrorism were
also interviewed to get information on the editorial policy of the newspaper about terrorism.
The news reporters were selected by saturated sampling-all those who write about terrorism
were included in the study. Qualitative data was analyzed by assessing conversations,
opinions, and interpreting readers' responses. Quantitative data has been presented in tables
and percentile to show numbers affected by terrorism texts. The findings show that the
language used in reporting terrorism news indicated bias. This has a negative effect on the
readers of the paper. Disagreements often arise among- the readers as a result of terrorism
news from the paper. There is also suspiscion among the readers as a result of the news they
read. The editorial policy of Nation Media company contributes towards choice of language
used in terrorism news published in Taifa Leo. This research has highlighted the need for
caution in choice of language, news source and discourse access when reporting about
terrorism. This can help reduce bias and negative effect on readers as a result of the bias. It
can also contribute to a more positive and proactive way of looking at terrorism and thus
help in the fight against terrorism. Enough knowledge on terrorism is an important step in
the fight against terrorism and its effects. | en_US |
