It is a tough time for journalists

Journalists in Kenya are entering a very difficult period when they must either become the whipping boys for all that might go wrong in the next nine months, or meekly submit to “expert” advice from politicians on how they should behave.

The one thing their detractors, or corruptors, cannot seem to understand is that, journalists, especially those in the mainstream media, are professionals who must always balance between doing their jobs -- informing, educating and entertaining the public -- and infringing on the rights of that same public.

Since they must at the same time strive to remain objective, it becomes a delicate balancing act for those who have to decide what to publish and what to leave out. 

Reporters are trained to evaluate the newsworthiness of events and not whether what they write or broadcast will have any ramifications. Anything beyond that is certainly above their pay-grade, for it is their editors who make the ultimate value judgement and who take the blame should anything go wrong. 

These musings were prompted by reports that in a speech to his peers, Nairobi Senator Johnson Sakaja had urged the media to go slow while reporting on the escalating arson attacks in Kenyan secondary schools. 

“Brown envelope”

These reports, he argued, were leading to copycat reactions by other students who were going ahead to burn down dormitories. Though the Senator was told off by a few experts, he really cannot be faulted for giving his views on a very sore subject. After all, almost 40 schools have been set ablaze this year.

The problem is that he seems to accuse the media of fanning the flames by reporting on the incendiary events, and ends up offering the wrong prescription altogether. Any reporter who saw a school dormitory burning and failed to report it would not last very long in that job. This kind of misunderstanding of what the media stand for is widespread globally for the reason that few reporters, except those totally compromised, would go out of their way to invent news. Nor would any sensible journalist ignore a news story just because the details are too gory for the delicate stomachs of readers or viewers.

For that matter, very few news analysts or commentators on topical issues would ignore what they have read. Even professional propagandists would have to base their views on what has been reported in the media. That is the essence of debate and the right to articulate disparate opinions. It is a constitutional right known as freedom of expression, one that is routinely trampled upon by despotic regimes.

At the same time, it would be wrong to assume that newsmen and women are beyond reproach. We don’t want to talk about yellow journalism or the “brown envelope” variety here. Journalists are not saints; some do slant news because they have been paid to do so or because they seek to accommodate the views of their ethnic political kingpins. However, this last is becoming increasingly difficult in an environment in which the mainstream media finds itself in direct competition with social media whose content is almost immediate, if not instantaneous. 

“Githeri media”

As for opinion-shapers, news analysts and television pundits, they are not without fault either. Indeed, many are prone to writing or saying things in which they can be dead wrong. I hate to say this, but early this year I nearly caused an international incident because in my exuberance, I did not look at the bigger picture or weigh the possible import of what I was writing. Indeed, the whole situation was way over my head and the ramifications would have been dire. Fortunately, my eagle-eyed editors were not as reckless and the situation was deftly salvaged. I have never had an opportunity to thank them, and I take this opportunity to do so now.

However, to go back to my theme, many readers do not seem to realise what it takes to put together their favourite newspaper or television news bulletin. Everything is taken to be a premeditated attempt at bluffing or misleading the reader or viewer so long as it does not align with their own views. For instance, although it has become clear that the average Kenyan is bored stiff by anything that is not political, many key-board warriors have taken to expressing their views through generalised insults, which is why the distasteful slur, “Githeri media”, has become so popular in describing the mainstream media.

But here’s the thing: A very important meeting on climate change (Cop26) has been going on in Glasgow, Scotland, and it is a given that very few people took much notice. Never mind that by now, they should be aware that the world is changing all around them (depleted rains, longer dry seasons, heat waves, prolonged cold seasons, disappearing rivers, swelling lakes, and so on), but how many of the Githeri media critics can relate to what went on during those talks, a matter of life and death? 

All they want to know is whether the crowd that cheered Deputy President Ruto in the Mt Kenya region was bigger or smaller than the one that cheered ODM leader Raila Odinga during their rallies.

Mr Ngwiri is a consultant editor; [email protected]