As a rule, reporters must not roast, lampoon or slam subjects of news

James Karuga called from Ol Kalou, Nyandarua County, to point out that Nation was out of order to say Muslim clerics “lampooned” President William Ruto for failing to call for peace in Gaza and Lebanon (“Middle East wars: Ruto criticised for 'being silent'” by Cecil Odongo, Daily Nation, October 11, 2024, page 2).

The dictionary meaning of lampoon is to make critical jokes about someone or something using irony, satire or parody. To lampoon, in effect, is to publicly ridicule, mock, make fun of, poke fun at, caricature, tease, or make a fool of someone. When you lampoon, you use humour or jokes to make someone look bad or stupid.

In journalism only political cartoonists, such as Nation’s Victor Ndula and Samuel Muigai (Igah), are “allowed” to lampoon public figures, including the President. By using the term “lampoon”, the Nation story distorts the apparent intention of the Muslim clerics. Led by Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims Chairman Hassan Ole Naado, they are expressing disappointment that the government is not participating in international calls for peace in the Middle East.

They are making an urgent appeal for Kenya to engage more actively in the Middle East crisis, rather than remaining silent. To use the term “lampoon” to describe what the clerics are saying to President Ruto can be seen as diminishing the seriousness of their concerns . Readers may also see it as disrespecting President Ruto. Nation.Africa, in its version of the story, uses the term “slammed,” which is only slightly better because it doesn’t ridicule or mock. To slam is to criticise harshly. "Criticised" or "condemned" might better capture the gravity of the statement by the Muslim clerics than “slammed.”

If Nation wanted to convey that the clerics' criticism was pointed and harsh, "lampooned" might highlight that effectively. However, if the clerics were genuinely calling for accountability without ridicule, as it appears from the story, the use of "lampooned" doesn’t fit the context.

Opinionated terms

In general, while the choice of language reflects the journalist's perspective, it could be interpreted as inappropriate or disrespectful if it doesn't accurately represent the tone of the speaker. Choosing a more neutral term would likely avoid such interpretation and maintain journalistic objectivity.

There are other opinionated terms that journalists may feel tempted to use in attribution, including ‘roasted,” “chastised,” “lambasted,” and “castigated.” But most news outlets avoid such pejorative and warlike terms.

The most common and standard form of attribution is the term “said”. It’s a clear and neutral attribution, devoid of any connotation or opinion. However, the phrase “he said" and its variants may appear boring in some cases or not convey how a statement was made. So occasionally a journalist may use expressions such as “he urged”, “he warned”, “he disclosed’, “he emphasised”, “he suggested”, and so on. But the journalist should be sure that he’s using the correct attribution to convey the way the information was conveyed.

The important thing is for the journalist to make sure that the term he uses in attribution doesn’t confer condemnation, belief or disbelief, to what is being said — unless there is evidence to do so.

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Solving a “mystery” in journalism sometimes can be easy. Nation.Africa reports that it’s a “mystery” that Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua’s sons have replaced their cousins as directors of Vipingo Beach Resort (“Mystery of Rigathi Gachagua sons replacing cousins in ex-Nyeri governor’s multibillion-shilling firm” by Brian Wasuna, Nation.Africa, October 13, 2024). The property is part of the estate of his late brother and former governor of Nyeri, Nderitu Gachagua. The Sunday Nation, in its version of the story, reports that it’s a “puzzle.”

Readers are also puzzled. Did the journalist contact the cousins for a comment, they ask? Too true, the cousins could’ve provided valuable insights into the changes in the company's directorship structure and clarified the reasons behind their replacement. This additional perspective could’ve enriched the story and potentially resolved the mystery surrounding the inheritance and management of the estate. Engaging with all relevant parties is crucial in investigative reporting, particularly in cases involving family dynamics and financial interests.

The Public Editor is an independent news ombudsman who handles readers’ complaints on editorial matters including accuracy and journalistic standards. Email: [email protected]. Call or text 0721989264