BROADCAST COVERAGE OF UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE IN KENYA: A CASE OF CITIZEN AND KENYA BROADCASTING CORPORATION TELEVISION STATION

ABSTRACT
The main purpose of this study was to examine broadcast coverage of universal health care in Kenya at citizen and Kenya Broadcasting Corporation television stations. The study was guided by three specific objectives: to examine how television stations in Kenya have covered of universal health care; to examine the prominence given to universal health care stories; and to examine major issues set by television stations in universal health care coverage. Agenda building theory and media priming theory were used in this study. The study used the mixed method approach combining both qualitative and quantitative methods using a case study method. The target population of the study was 173 television reporters from which 121 television reporters made up the sample size. However, the actual sample size was 94 respondents. Both primary and secondary methods of data collection were adopted where a questionnaire, in-depth interview guide, and a code sheet for video analysis were used to gather data. The data from questionnaires was analysed quantitatively and presented using tables and charts whist qualitative data was analysed narratively identifying themes in the data that fit with the study objectives and literature review. The findings revealed that most media reported health on events and providing information on relevant social and policy issues and that most stories were more likely to be broadcast if the event was already in the news, if the story had an impact or great intensity, or if the story could be easily understood and interpreted without multiple meanings. In terms of prominence, health news stories were covered only if elites were talking about these stories indicating less evidence of investigative reporting among broadcasters. In reference to media frames of health reporting, the findings show that health stories were covered within the government/political and sensitisation/mobilisation frames. The study concludes that health reporting was done on events and providing information on relevant social and policy issues; That journalists were more likely to present and cover health stories that are already being aired in the news than to present or cover new stories; and that health financing was the most popular health news covered by journalists on universal health coverage. Television journalists should emphasise covering health stories that fall into the sensitization frame requiring investigative health reporting into universal health coverage. This approach would improve reporting on stories and covering health issues that are directly related to the universal health coverage agenda.