I faced a number of challenges during data collection period in Nairobi, Kenya. For the purpose of clarification, let me categorize these challenges into two parts, i.e.
practical challenges and challenges related to my citizenship.
3.9.1 Practical challenges
Delay to get a research permit was my first practical challenge. As a legal and ethical requirement, I need to get a research permit before I began collecting data through in-depth interviews and documents. The name of the organization that gives research and related permits is named: National Commission for Science, Technology and Innovation (NACOSTI), where I passed a few bad days. The concerned officers provided work burden as an excuse for delayed my research permit which I have begun the process before months while I was in Norway. Starting from the first day I appeared in their office in Nairobi, all the officers almost spoke in one mouth, they aforementioned that your approval is on the way to be finalized, yet you need to wait for some more extra days, even two of the officers asked me to give bribe.
However, since it was a must to strictly adhere to the ethical principles, I waited for their response with great tolerance. Finally, after ten days of tight follow up I got a research permit.
Moreover, two interviewees were interested to know the answer of other respondents, which was again the other challenge. But, in whatever circumstances since keeping the confidentiality of all respondents is a must; I let them to know that I never give the answer of one interview to the other regardless of any reasons they were provided.
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Shortage of time was the other challenge I faced. Within, one month and ten days period, I was expected to make 11 in-depth interviews and 52 document analysis.
Besides, though I disclosed before all interview sessions, three of the interviewees were not interested to be recorded. Yet, after I clearly discussed the purpose of the research they gave consent to be recorded. In addition, it was not easy to find some interview respondents as per our prior program. Hence, it was tough to conduct interviews based on a strict action plan.
The budget constraint is another challenge. But, in the other way round it is a strong side of this research. Since this thesis was fully self-sponsored it is free from any kind of pressure, also no one can vest its interest. Oliver (2014) appreciates self-sponsored researches because of the fact that they are free from arrangements that commercial sponsors want to pursue. As a part of informed consent, I told the source of the budget to my interview respondents in advance of all interview sessions.
3.9.2 Challenges related to my citizenship
It becomes common to see the terms emic and etic in social science researches. Emic represent inside perspective of a certain culture, while etic concerns about outside perspective of a culture. In most instances, psychological studies and anthropologists want to understand a certain culture from within. Whereas, behavioral studies like that of Skinner‘s choose etic or outside perspective (Morris, Leung, Ames & Lickel, 1999).
As far as my approach is concerned, I followed a mixed approach. It is emic because I tried to see the media culture of the country from the native Kenyans point of view. Undeniably, it is difficult to get the full picture of the culture within a short period of time. At the same time, it is also etic due to the fact that I came from other different culture.
Since I am the citizen of another country in almost all of the interview sessions the respondents were curious to know about my background in detail. Though it was in the form of witticism, one interview respondent even identified me as a Somalia origin. He loudly laughed and spoke out that this research might be a new attempt by Al-Shabaab so as to know the attitude of Kenyan journalists about Al-Shabaab. To
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clear this and other kinds of confusions, before every of the interview sessions I exhaustively disclosed about myself and the purpose of the study. Similarly, some of the interview respondents were skeptical to give precise information about the issue;
rather they preferred to give a general comment. In some cases, they provided vague or unrelated answers to the interview questions. To fill these gaps I asked them follow-up questions and also back them to the main track of our discussion.
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CHAPTER FOUR
RESULTS FINDINGS, PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSIONS
4.0. Introduction
This part of the thesis presents the findings obtained from my filed work in Nairobi.
During my stay in Nairobi, I conducted 11 in-depth interviews with editors, reporters and media experts. Besides, I analyzed 52 news articles written by both newspapers. The chapter has classified and presented findings as per the following subtopics: overview of respondents demography, coverage of terrorism by the selected newspapers, agenda of terrorists and the practice of journalists, national security versus the public right to know, the impacts of counter-terrorism initiatives on independence of media outlets, the role of Media Council, practice of self-censorship and the real challenges that editors and reporters faces.