The deployment of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in newsrooms is gaining prominence worldwide, with... more The deployment of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in newsrooms is gaining prominence worldwide, with the technology being used to enhance the processes of news gathering, packaging, and distribution. The study was guided by two research questions: what factors drive/hinder(s) the adoption of AI or lack of it in newsrooms in Kenya? Moreover, what opportunities do journalists feel are offered by adopting AI in newsrooms in Kenya? A qualitative research approach and descriptive research design were employed to investigate the adoption of AI in newsrooms in Kenya. British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC-Africa) and Radio Africa Group (RAG) media organizations were the target population. As a research strategy, a multi-case method was employed. The researchers conducted in-depth interviews with newsroom-based participants. A purposive sampling technique was used to select participants for the research. Collected data were analyzed thematically. The paper identified six factors driving the ado...
Adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa are at risk for contracting HIV. Although media campaigns have ... more Adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa are at risk for contracting HIV. Although media campaigns have educated the population as a whole, few studies are available about the time sub-Saharan African youth spend listening to and viewing sexual messages via the entertainment and informational media. The goals of this project were: 1) to investigate what programming Nairobi adolescents access; and 2) to investigate the association between frequency of access and level of focus on physical relationships with adolescents' perceptions of descriptive norms of peer sexual behaviour, and their attitudes regarding men as sex driven, women as sex objects, and dating as a sport. A total of 464 students from 6 Nairobi secondary schools were surveyed. When students' favourite musicians had a strong focus on physical relationships in their songs, those students estimated the prevalence of risky sexual behaviours among their peers higher. These students also endorsed gender stereotypical and cas...
A large portion of HIV transmission in sub-Saharan Africa occurs among married couples, yet the m... more A large portion of HIV transmission in sub-Saharan Africa occurs among married couples, yet the majority of research on safer-sex communication has focused on communication between couples in casual relationships. This paper explores how committed Kamba couples in Machakos District, Kenya, communicate about sensitive relational issues. The findings from focus group discussions with five groups of males and five groups of females are presented. The couples freely shared their thoughts about daily and economic issues and certain aspects of family planning and sexuality. Methods for raising sensitive issues with partners included monitoring the spouse's mood, gradual or indirect revelation, mentioning topics during sex, and use of third-party intermediaries. Interference by extended family members, especially husbands' mothers, and male authoritarian roles emerged as hindrances to effective communication between couples. The implications for HIV prevention regarding gender differences and the role of families in couples' communication are discussed.
This study explored Kenyan patients&a... more This study explored Kenyan patients' perspectives on the role of ethnicity in the doctor-patient relationship. 221 participants completed questionnaires on ethnicity in doctor-patient relationships; eight focus groups were held with low- and middle-income urban and rural women. About half of participants expressed no preference for doctor ethnicity. Participants rated demographic factors as less important than factors related to the doctor's qualifications, communication skills, and cost of service. Those who did indicate a preference were more likely to prefer Indian doctors for eye problems and Europeans for major surgery, cancer, and heart problems. With less severe medical issues participants were more likely to prefer a doctor who was ethnically concordant with them. Reasons for this centered around communication issues. In contrast, several focus group participants did not want to be treated by doctors from their own ethnic group because of concerns about confidentiality. Additional research is needed on negative implications of patient-provider concordance. Medical service providers must be aware of concerns about ethnic concordance. Alternatively medical centers that deal with sensitive medical information need to consider hiring staff who are not of the majority ethnic group in their region.
Extremely popular with Kenyan youth, the entertainment-education drama Shuga was designed with sp... more Extremely popular with Kenyan youth, the entertainment-education drama Shuga was designed with specific goals of promoting condom use, single versus multiple sexual partners, and destigmatization of HIV. Almost as soon as it aired, however, it generated controversy due to its extensive sexual themes and relatively explicit portrayal of sexual issues. To determine how safer sex, antistigma messages, and overall sexual content were integrated into Shuga, we conducted a content analysis. Results indicated that condom use and HIV destigmatization messages were frequently and clearly communicated. Negative consequences for risky sexual behavior were communicated over the course of the entire series. Messages about multiple concurrent partnerships were not evident. In addition, in terms of scenes per hour of programming, Shuga had 10.3 times the amount of sexual content overall, 8.2 times the amount of sexual talk, 17.8 times the amount of sexual behavior, and 9.4 times the amount of sexu...
The deployment of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in newsrooms is gaining prominence worldwide, with... more The deployment of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in newsrooms is gaining prominence worldwide, with the technology being used to enhance the processes of news gathering, packaging, and distribution. The study was guided by two research questions: what factors drive/hinder(s) the adoption of AI or lack of it in newsrooms in Kenya? Moreover, what opportunities do journalists feel are offered by adopting AI in newsrooms in Kenya? A qualitative research approach and descriptive research design were employed to investigate the adoption of AI in newsrooms in Kenya. British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC-Africa) and Radio Africa Group (RAG) media organizations were the target population. As a research strategy, a multi-case method was employed. The researchers conducted in-depth interviews with newsroom-based participants. A purposive sampling technique was used to select participants for the research. Collected data were analyzed thematically. The paper identified six factors driving the ado...
Adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa are at risk for contracting HIV. Although media campaigns have ... more Adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa are at risk for contracting HIV. Although media campaigns have educated the population as a whole, few studies are available about the time sub-Saharan African youth spend listening to and viewing sexual messages via the entertainment and informational media. The goals of this project were: 1) to investigate what programming Nairobi adolescents access; and 2) to investigate the association between frequency of access and level of focus on physical relationships with adolescents' perceptions of descriptive norms of peer sexual behaviour, and their attitudes regarding men as sex driven, women as sex objects, and dating as a sport. A total of 464 students from 6 Nairobi secondary schools were surveyed. When students' favourite musicians had a strong focus on physical relationships in their songs, those students estimated the prevalence of risky sexual behaviours among their peers higher. These students also endorsed gender stereotypical and cas...
A large portion of HIV transmission in sub-Saharan Africa occurs among married couples, yet the m... more A large portion of HIV transmission in sub-Saharan Africa occurs among married couples, yet the majority of research on safer-sex communication has focused on communication between couples in casual relationships. This paper explores how committed Kamba couples in Machakos District, Kenya, communicate about sensitive relational issues. The findings from focus group discussions with five groups of males and five groups of females are presented. The couples freely shared their thoughts about daily and economic issues and certain aspects of family planning and sexuality. Methods for raising sensitive issues with partners included monitoring the spouse's mood, gradual or indirect revelation, mentioning topics during sex, and use of third-party intermediaries. Interference by extended family members, especially husbands' mothers, and male authoritarian roles emerged as hindrances to effective communication between couples. The implications for HIV prevention regarding gender differences and the role of families in couples' communication are discussed.
This study explored Kenyan patients&a... more This study explored Kenyan patients' perspectives on the role of ethnicity in the doctor-patient relationship. 221 participants completed questionnaires on ethnicity in doctor-patient relationships; eight focus groups were held with low- and middle-income urban and rural women. About half of participants expressed no preference for doctor ethnicity. Participants rated demographic factors as less important than factors related to the doctor's qualifications, communication skills, and cost of service. Those who did indicate a preference were more likely to prefer Indian doctors for eye problems and Europeans for major surgery, cancer, and heart problems. With less severe medical issues participants were more likely to prefer a doctor who was ethnically concordant with them. Reasons for this centered around communication issues. In contrast, several focus group participants did not want to be treated by doctors from their own ethnic group because of concerns about confidentiality. Additional research is needed on negative implications of patient-provider concordance. Medical service providers must be aware of concerns about ethnic concordance. Alternatively medical centers that deal with sensitive medical information need to consider hiring staff who are not of the majority ethnic group in their region.
Extremely popular with Kenyan youth, the entertainment-education drama Shuga was designed with sp... more Extremely popular with Kenyan youth, the entertainment-education drama Shuga was designed with specific goals of promoting condom use, single versus multiple sexual partners, and destigmatization of HIV. Almost as soon as it aired, however, it generated controversy due to its extensive sexual themes and relatively explicit portrayal of sexual issues. To determine how safer sex, antistigma messages, and overall sexual content were integrated into Shuga, we conducted a content analysis. Results indicated that condom use and HIV destigmatization messages were frequently and clearly communicated. Negative consequences for risky sexual behavior were communicated over the course of the entire series. Messages about multiple concurrent partnerships were not evident. In addition, in terms of scenes per hour of programming, Shuga had 10.3 times the amount of sexual content overall, 8.2 times the amount of sexual talk, 17.8 times the amount of sexual behavior, and 9.4 times the amount of sexu...
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Papers by Nancy Booker