New Vision newspaper as a source of information for livestock farming: A content analysis

Abstract

This study analyses livestock farming information within the New Vision newspaper, from 2021 to 2022. The purpose of the study was to assess the coverage of livestock information in the New Vision newspaper using a content analysis. The study was guided by three objectives to establish the types of articles published on livestock farming in the New Vision for the period 2021-2022, to examine how information on livestock farming is presented in the New Vision newspaper and to identify gaps in the presentation of information on livestock farming in the New Vision newspaper. This study adopted a content analysis research design to provide new insights into livestock farming information within a newspaper medium for the period 2021-2022. Results of this study revealed that there were eight different categories of articles on livestock farming that were published: advertisements, features, editorials, letters to the editor(s), hard news, opinions and photographs. The study focused on the prevalent use photographs, revealing photos as the most frequently featured theme of livestock information. Remarkably, these visual elements collectively dominated the landscape with a combined total of 158 articles, constituting 51% percent of the livestock content disseminated in the New Vision newspaper. Over the two-year study period, Feeding received the highest space allocation among livestock related topics as it occupied 1,140.7 column centimeters (col.cm). This portrays a notable editorial prioritization. Conversely, Marketing occupied the least amount of space with only 409 col.cms. When compared to popular topics such as politics, which had 18,866.3 col. cms, space allocated to livestock information (9,698 col. cms) was markedly lower. This raises concerns about the adequate coverage of information pertaining to livestock farming, an essential sector of agriculture. The research findings indicate that, the New Vision featured seven distinct article categories, offering a wide range of content that added diversity and variety to its pages. These categories—news stories, feeding, success stories, breeding, marketing, health, and photographs—were carefully crafted to meet the diverse interests and preferences of the readership. It can be concluded that diversification in content is crucial for maintaining reader engagement and preventing monotony and also livestock farming is not given the coverage it deserves due to how generally it is placed in the New Vision newspaper. To address the problem of underrepresentation of livestock information in New Vision publications, the study recommended that the managing editors of New Vision newspaper should prioritize the dissemination of livestock information by featuring it prominently on the front pages of their respective publications or at least regularly utilize front page teasers. It was also recommended that by dedicating prime space on the front pages to livestock topics, the New Vision can effectively highlight the importance of the livestock sector in driving the economy and ensuring food security.