Page 18 - UNAM Virtual Graduation 2020 e-Book

FACULTY OF HUMANITIES & SOCIAL SCIENCES

DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN MEDIA STUDIES

CANDIDATE: NJUGUNA Perpetua Wanja

CURRICULUM VITAE

Perpetua Wanja Njuguna has been a Lecturer, Communication Department,
Namibia University of Science & Technology for the past 9 years. Previously,
she was a media lecturer at the University of Botswana for 4 years. With
over 25 years in journalism, Njuguna, is a multiple award-winning journalist for
among others, Co-overall winner, CNN African Journalist of the Year 2000 for a domestic violence among
the elite story entitled: “Union Made in Hell”, Giants International 2000 Best Social Writer, ICFJ Journalist
of the Month, June 2011 and 2nd Overall, Botswana’s Bessie Head Literature Awards, 2009 in the Short
Story category. She has also won several fellowships: Stanford University’s John S. Knight Journalism Fellow,
Harvard University’s Mason, William Starr Journalism Fellow and Third Millennium Human Rights Fellow
and U.S National Press Foundation Journalist to Journalist Fellow on HIV & AIDS Reporting among others.
Njuguna started her career as a freelance journalist with the Nation Media Group (NMG) in Kenya in 1989
while working full time as a senior prisons officer. After 10 years of service, she left the prisons and joined the
Nation Media Group in Nairobi on full time basis in 1996 as a writer rising to a sub-editor before she resigned
in 2004 to re-join the government as an I.E.C Specialist for Kenya Government GJLOS Reform Program. She
has also previously worked for Time Magazine (Atlantic Edition, London) on internship as part of CNN African
Journalist of the Year Award and thereafter, as a correspondent. Njuguna has a B.A (Communication)
from Messiah College, USA, Masters in Print Communication - Daystar University, Nairobi, Kenya, Masters in
Public Administration from Harvard University, USA, a Post Graduate Certificate in Research Methodology
from Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, Scotland and a Diploma in Journalism & Democracy - Kalmar
University/FOJO in Sweden. Her research interests are in Media Reporting on HIV & AIDS, HIV & AIDS Human
Rights Issues, Environment Issues and Human Rights of Minorities (Women and Children) among others.

CANDIDATE’S DISSERTATION

HIV & AIDS STIGMA, NAMIBIAN NEWSPAPERS AND HEALTH POLICIES 2000 - 2012: AN INVESTIGATION OF
FRAMING, PRIMING AND AGENDA-SETTING EFFECTS

The doctoral study was undertaken and completed under the supervision of Prof Eno Akpabio of the
University of Namibia as Main-Supervisor and Prof Kingo Mchombu from the International University of
Management as Co-Supervisor.

The candidate investigated to what extent stigma is present in print media reporting on Human
Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) & Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) in Namibia. Media
representation of the disease has greatly influenced how the disease and those who are affected by it are
perceived in the society thus causing stigma towards those affected; this formed the basis for this research.
Using purposive sampling, the researcher selected articles in two Namibian newspapers – The Namibian -
the largest private newspaper and New Era - the largest government-owned newspaper in Namibia – to
determine framing of HIV and AIDS stories. This approach was also used to identify texts as well as headlines
which were content analyzed. Priming, Framing, Agenda-Setting and Social Construction of Reality theories
undergirded the research while its philosophical basis was constructivism, which is a theoretical framework
which argues that human beings construct meaning from a combination of their lived experiences and
ideas. The following were the findings of the research: (1) That high level of stigma exists in framing HIV and
AIDS stories in the two newspapers; (2) the complex nature of coverage of HIV and AIDS stories is evident
in the way reporters write stories about the epidemic as well as those who are affected by HIV and AIDS;
and (3) how the stories are presented exhibits thematic and contextual characteristics of the epidemic. The
principal contribution to knowledge of this study is that a high level of stigma is still driving the way HIV/AIDS
is reported. Consequently, HIV & AIDs reporting should be regarded as a specialized area requiring training
hence the study came up with a Namibia-specific HIV and AIDS reporting guideline.
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