The Kenya Westgate Attack: The Role of Newspapers in the Portrayal of Peace and War through Journalism, with a Comparison to 9/11

Abstract

This paper focuses on the journalistic approach by the Daily Nation and The New York Times on the Westgate attack in Kenya on September 21, 2013, through the theories of peace and war journalism. The paper further compares the findings of the Daily Nation to that of the approaches taken by The New York Times on September 11, 2001, during the Twin Tower and Pentagon attacks. The method used for this paper is the Peace Journalism diagram created by Johan Galtung. The paper studies the historical ramifications of Kenya’s colonization, ethnic tensions, and development of journalism. It further examines the role that 9/11 had on the framing of the “War on Terror” and addresses the relationship between Kenya and Somalia that led Kenya to be seen as a terrorism hub.