conflict & communication online, Vol. 15, No. 1, 2016
www.cco.regener-online.de
ISSN 1618-0747

Jessica Gustafsson
Media and the 2013 Kenyan election: From hate speech to peace preaching

In March 2013, Kenya held its first election after the post-election violence (PEV) in 2008, which media were blamed for contributing to by partisan reporting and hate speech. Prior to the 2013 election, several organizations worked to raise awareness of the negative consequences of hate speech and the need of responsible journalism. 
This article sheds light on how Kenyan journalists perceived their role and evaluated their own reporting of the 2013 election and whether they were influenced by the experience of the PEV.
The article shows how the experience of the PEV became a reference point when discussing the election reporting and the role of journalists. Several journalists admitted that important issues were avoided due to fear of steering up emotions.

The author:
Jessica Gustafsson has a PhD in Media studies, specialized in Community media. Currently Jessica is pursuing her post.doc, which is part of Nordic research project New Perspectives on New Media and Social Change in the Global South.

eMail: jessica.gustafsson@dac.au.dk