An Analysis of the Changing Issues in Democratic Assignments for Kenyan Journalists

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The prime obligation of journalists is to act as public trustees on issues pertaining to democracy. They should agitate for rights for all members of the society and act as scrutinizers to those holding official positions in government. However, the journalistic work is threatened by political influences, the emergence of online journalism and citizen journalism which the journalists have no control over. This changing environment has brought a new threat to issues on democratic assignments and professional identity. Given these contextual trends coupled with the structural changes in journalism as a practice, this study explored the possible changes in the journalism profession. The study sought to establish the changes in professional ideals of the journalists‟ with a focus on the democratic assignments. The study was carried out in Nairobi County and targeted journalists in selected media houses in Kenya. The total number of respondents were 314 .The study used mixed method approach. Survey technique was employed to generate both quantitative and qualitative data. The data was collected using questionnaires and interviews. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse quantitative data and thematic analysis for qualitative data. The study findings showed that the ideals of scrutiny and explanation were consistently supported by journalists in different social groups and media houses thus indicating a show of homogeneity. This consolidation around a few central values that had long been acknowledged as legitimate in the field was a confirmation of adherence to the ideology that guards the profession. It is a sign of putting their foot down to protect their identity at a time when everything seems to be changing in the field of communication. The special role of journalists as pure collectors of information is no longer tenable at the moment since even ordinary citizen can do the same. The gathering around scrutiny and explanation seems only natural in this case because these ideals focus on what is considered “the true essence of journalism”.