The effect of COVID-19 pandemic on media operations in Rwanda

Abstract

On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization designated COVID-19 as a worldwide pandemic, the first of its kind since H1N1 influenza was categorized as a pandemic in 2009.The pandemic has caused unprecedented economic challenges globally across various sectors, including the media. Media organizations heavily rely on advertising revenue, which took a hit during the pandemic. Media organizations have had to drastically adjust to new ways of operating to align with the untold consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. To date, there has been a scarcity of scholarly research exploring the effect of the pandemic on how different media houses managed to overcome and adjust to the changing operating environment. To address this research gap, this research project took the case study of Rwanda and explored how the pandemic has affected the different media houses in different aspects of their operations. The study sheds light on how the pandemic has affected Rwandan media operations and how they have responded to the new operating environment. The specific objectives of the study were as follows: to investigate how the COVID-19 pandemic affected media production routines; to assess how the COVID-19 pandemic affected media revenues; to find out how the COVID-19 pandemic affected the welfare of journalists in Rwandan media houses; and to assess how the COVID-19 pandemic affected the way media houses in Rwanda engaged with their audience. To achieve the research goals, the study employed the explanatory sequential research design, which is a mixed research approach that incorporated a survey and interviews. The survey targeted 85 accredited journalists, sampled from a population of 568 journalists. The study focused on media houses operating in the three districts of the City of Kigali: Kicukiro, Gasabo, and Nyarugenge Districts. To select the sample of respondents, a simple random approach was used, considering gender balance. In relation to the study, political economy theory was used to place the research within a broader context by connecting it to existing knowledge. The research revealed that Rwandan journalists encountered difficulties in gathering and producing news, prompting a move towards remote reporting and dependence on citizen journalism. Decreased media revenues, attributed to event cancellations and reduced advertising, resulted in job losses and salary reductions. Journalists also had challenges in obtaining sources and negative consequences for their well-being. Media organizations need to protect journalists, challenge false information, and diversify their funding streams in order to increase their efficiency in times of crisis. While media groups should train journalists to be flexible in every situation and support press freedom, the Rwandan government should facilitate the flow of information and offer financial support to media outlets during times of crisis.