Journalistic perception on verification of news accounts for selected Print Media publications in Uasin-Gishu County, Kenya

Abstract

News verification allows journalists to disseminate precise information that the public can use to base their decisions. Nonetheless, there are growing concerns in Kenya over inaccurate news reports disseminated in the mainstream media platforms which could have been prompted by inefficient news verification techniques employed by mainstream media as well as inadequate competencies possessed by journalists in verifying news. The aim of this study was to investigate journalistic perception on verification of news accounts for selected print media publications in Uasin Gishu County, Kenya with the goal of suggesting suitable interventions to facilitate verification of news accounts in order to disseminate accurate information. The research questions were: How do journalists perceive the journalistic practice of verifying news accounts for selected print media publications? What are journalists’ perceptions in the possession of knowledge and skills on verification of news accounts for selected print media publications? What are the perceived pressures prominent in the journalists’ decision to verify news accounts for selected print media publications? This study was guided by Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), gate keeping theory and social responsibility theory. The study adopted a qualitative approach and a case study research design owing to its ability to elicit in-depth information. The research population of interest comprised of fifteen key informants from Uasin Gishu County comprising of editors and journalists who were sampled purposively while news subjects and critical readers were selected based on journalists’ references. Face-to-face interviews with informants and content analysis of selected six newspaper articles that met the inclusion criteria were used to collect data. The data collected was then analyzed thematically. Study findings revealed subconscious factors that might explain non-verification behavior include: journalists’ lack of personal motivation mediated by their unfavorable wages, inaccessibility to valuable information, and journalists’ routine behaviors of sharing news scripts among media colleagues. Further, journalists’ shortcomings in evaluating the information they encounter are well documented in this study. The non-existent questioning of information, blurred distinctions between fact and opinion in news, poor news selection criteria that is biased towards selection of elite sources is an indication that journalists do not have the knowledge and skills to critically engage with news. This prevents them from discerning factual and inaccurate content because critical analysis of information demands conscious and thoughtful interrogation of information so that meaning can be interpreted. Additionally, the study finds that media deviates in some measurable way from a desirable standard of accuracy because of conflicting interests between journalists and pressure groups including the state and political actors, media funders, and editorial supervisors. The conflict of interests also arises from the immediacy nature of news cycle where journalists are forced to skip verifying news owing to the belief that news consumers expect speedy news. The study concluded that journalist’s low self-efficacy and external locus of control serve as restraints that shape the news they produce. The study recommends that interventions aimed at promoting news verification among journalists should target development of implementation regulations for the existing policy on Access to Information, development of campaigns that create positive thoughts about the importance of verifying news, review of journalists’ salary structure, commissioning of studies on news consumers’ perceptions, and continuous upskilling, reskilling and training of journalists.