Kenyan Journalists’ Perceptions of Personal Media Channels for Professional Work

Journalists’ use of personal social media accounts and websites to disseminate content has necessitated investigating their significance for Kenyan media professionals. Based on a qualitative research design, this study draws on semi-structured in-depth interviews with Kenyan journalists (N = 22) to investigate their perceptions of migrating from traditional media outlets to digital platforms, in particular, personal social media channels and independent websites, the underlying reasons for this platform migration, and their perceptions of how legacy media are responding to such shifts. The findings highlight that economic incentives and challenging media environments are the primary drivers of platform migration and that participants perceive journalists’ independent websites (i.e., j-blogs) as valuable additions to the diversification of news sources. According to respondents, legacy media organizations have responded by restructuring their newsrooms, adopting convergence strategies, and establishing on-demand platforms to slow journalists’ migration to digital media. The implications for journalists, legacy and digital media, and media consumers are also discussed.