Guest and expert panel selection as a determinant of political bias in broadcast programs in Nakuru County, Kenya

Abstract

It is essential to choose the correct guests and specialists for political broadcast shows to make sure they are fair, neutral, and ideologically balanced. Even while the media in Kenya is getting better, there are still concerns about partisan representation and a lack of different points of view, especially in devolved areas like Nakuru County. This study examined the influence of guest and expert panel selection on political bias in television shows in Nakuru County. Agenda-setting theory and the political economy of media theory informed the analysis of how guest selection practices contribute to political bias in broadcast programming. The study employed a descriptive research design, concentrating on broadcast journalists, editors, producers, and consumers of political information. The study employed purposive sampling to generate a group of 74 media professionals as the participants. Data was collected by structured questionnaires and in-depth interviews, later analysed using SPSS (Version 30) for descriptive statistics, while thematic analysis was utilised for qualitative data. The findings showed that using the same political pundits over and over, favouring guests with similar political views, and not letting dissenting views be heard all strongly encourage political prejudice. Qualitative findings also emphasised the influence of ownership, political lobbying, and the lack of unbiased specialists as essential structural factors affecting biased panel membership. On the other side, choosing people based on their competence, which is based on their academic credentials, professional experience, and lack of political bias, made conversations more believable and fairer. The study concluded that the selection of individuals for political talk programs significantly influenced the framing of conversations and the ideological direction of televised debates. When shows repeatedly use the same commentators, especially those with known political views, the conversations tend to be slanted in a predictable way. The study recommends that to reduce political bias in broadcast programming, visitors need to be chosen in a clear, diversified, and merit-based fashion. The study also recommended using defined standards for appointing panellists, rotating panellists, and putting up independent expert registers to make political media material fairer and more trustworthy.