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@article{169376,
        author = {Daniel Milandu and Dr. Rajendran Britto PhD},
        title = {Dominant Reporting Angles on Presidential Candidates in the 2020 Zanzibar General Election: A Comparative Analysis of Mwananchi and Zanzibar Leo Newspapers},
        journal = {International Journal of Innovative Research in Technology},
        year = {2024},
        volume = {11},
        number = {6},
        pages = {1432-1439},
        issn = {2349-6002},
        url = {https://ijirt.org/article?manuscript=169376},
        abstract = {Media influence plays a key role in shaping voter perceptions, especially during elections. It is for this reason that the researcher set out to examine how two major Tanzanian newspapers, Mwananchi and Zanzibar Leo, framed presidential candidates during the 2020 Zanzibar General Election. Guided by three objectives—identifying dominant reporting angles, analyzing candidate-specific frames, and assessing the prominence given to each candidate—the study applied Framing Theory to explore media influence on the electorate. A total of 160 newspaper issues, split evenly between Mwananchi and Zanzibar Leo, covering the election period from August 26 to October 28, 2020, were analyzed using thematic and content analysis. The findings revealed distinct patterns: Mwananchi focused heavily on Dr. Hussein Ali Mwinyi, the Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) candidate, presenting him positively through narratives of success and governance confidence, while opposition candidates were framed negatively or received less attention. In contrast, Zanzibar Leo offered a broader critique of the electoral process but maintained a favourable bias towards CCM candidates, particularly Mwinyi. Despite these differences, both newspapers framed CCM and its candidates dominantly, influencing political discourse in their favour. The study concluded that the framing choices of these newspapers significantly impacted voter perceptions and the democratic process in Zanzibar. It recommends more balanced and ethical reporting to ensure fair representation of all candidates in future elections.},
        keywords = {Media Framing, Media Coverage, Political Reporting, Political Narrative, and Election Coverage},
        month = {November},
        }