The Discursive Construction of Political Power and Citizen Action in 2024 Kenyan Newspaper Headlines
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Abstract
This study investigates the ideological construction of political power, social agency, and leadership in the 2024 Kenyan newspaper headlines of the Daily Nation and The Standard newspapers. Employing an integrative model of CDA approaches in the analysis, it investigated how the language of the headlines personalizes power, limiting collective agency, and intensifies elite-centered narratives. Despite the historic Gen Z-led protests that challenged state authority and ignited governance changes, the media continually foregrounded a few political actors while systematically backgrounding alternative discourses. Using tools of van Dijk’s ideological square, van Leeuwen’s role allocation, and framing theory, this study indicates that headlines worked ideologically by emphasizing crisis, personalizing power, and marginalizing the discursive space for reform or public participation. The findings highlight the role of media in sustaining dominant power relations through strategic linguistic and representational choices.
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