A linguistic analysis of representation of corruption and corruption-related clauses in Kenyan print media

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to examine how language is used to represent the menace of corruption in Kenyan Print Media. Corruption has become a burning issue in Kenya as a country and in organizational research. It has been a long-standing debate in the Kenyan political and economic sphere, relevant not only at the national level but also having impact in rural areas where county governments were introduced through the 2010 constitution. However, few studies examine how corruption issue is socially constructed linguistically in print media. The study examines all reportage on corruption as a social issue in the Daily newspaper and the Standard Newspaper from February 2020 to February 2021. The study applied Fairclough’s (1989, 1990, 2001) Critical Discourse Analysis theoretical framework. The study employed analytical research design. The findings of the study revealed the use of linguistic elements that advance and amplify the reporting on corruption related issues. Such elements include the use of lexical items such as nouns and verbs, voice, epithets and indigenization. The results show that messages on corruption are framed in a persuasive manner to influence the readers and to evoke thoughts on this menace that has hardly affected the taxpayers. The study concludes that language is a powerful tool that newspaper writers use to influence the readers and to evoke thoughts on corruption that has hardly affected the taxpayers.