Media Framing of Police Force Activities in Tanzania: An Analysis of Mwananchi and Habari Leo Newspaper reportage in 2022.

Mella, Stephen (2025) Media Framing of Police Force Activities in Tanzania: An Analysis of Mwananchi and Habari Leo Newspaper reportage in 2022. Masters thesis, The Open University of Tanzania.

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Abstract

This study assessed media framing of Police force activities in Tanzania, with a focus on two prominent national newspapers, Habari Leo and Mwananchi, during the period from January to June 2022. The research is anchored in Framing Theory, which posits that the way media presents information significantly influences audience perception. This theoretical lens enabled the study to interpret how particular narratives and tones contribute to shaping public attitudes towards the Police force. Central to the analysis is the relationship between media portrayal and institutional trust, particularly the extent to which news framing attributes responsibility or fosters scepticism about the Police‟s intentions and competence. The theoretical grounding thus provides a framework to interrogate the normative expectations of the media in reporting security-related content. The study employed a mixed-method approach, with content analysis serving as the primary technique for data collection and interpretation. Each news article was treated as an individual unit of analysis, allowing for a structured comparison of tone, themes, and narrative emphasis across the two newspapers. The study classified reported stories into thematic categories including crime response, public safety, and institutional accountability. It also examined the use of expert voices, the depth of reporting, and the presence (or absence) of explanatory elements such as causal analysis and legal interpretation. This methodological framework was essential in identifying both overt and subtle patterns in news reporting that contribute to the construction of meaning about the Police force in public discourse. Findings reveal a predominantly negative media tone toward Police activities, with the framing often portraying the Police as reactive, distant, and occasionally abusive. The media tended to highlight crimes and crises; such as homicides, drug trafficking, and gender-based violence, without providing deeper context or explanation, thereby reinforcing a narrow and often critical image of the Police. Both newspapers showed a marked tendency to attribute blame to the Police in instances of public disorder while failing to equally acknowledge their proactive or community service roles. Moreover, the study found that the strained relationship between media and law enforcement impedes collaboration, undermining efforts to build public trust. While the Police were occasionally represented as capable and protective, recurring frames of brutality, corruption, and poor service overshadowed these narratives, indicating the need for institutional and communicative reforms on both sides. Keywords: Media frames, Police force activities.

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