A sample text widget

Etiam pulvinar consectetur dolor sed malesuada. Ut convallis euismod dolor nec pretium. Nunc ut tristique massa.

Nam sodales mi vitae dolor ullamcorper et vulputate enim accumsan. Morbi orci magna, tincidunt vitae molestie nec, molestie at mi. Nulla nulla lorem, suscipit in posuere in, interdum non magna.

What is ailing Kenyan journalism?

Gukira’s post on the amnesia of Kenyan press is very thought-provoking. He raises a very important question: “We have long complained that the Western press presents “rubbish stories,” indifferent to “real issues.” Is the Kenyan press no less complicit?”

I think the Kenyan press is no less complicit and it is time that they should be taken to task. For instance, why were Kenyans overseas complaining that they were not getting a good sense of things on the ground from the press during the referendum when the Kenyan press had the resources to do more than just an orange-vs-banana story? Why aren’t we reading more honest and well-thought out stories? How can we complain about mediocre coverage by the West when we are doing a pretty abysmal job of telling our stories?

For a long time in Kenya the main challenge facing journalists was censorship and the absence of freedom of the press, yet now that the space for media has opened up there is very little serious or investigative reporting going on. If the Weekly Review could operate at the height of Moi’s paranoia, why can’t we have a credible independent weekly now? A comment by Acolyte points to some of the challenges: “I do agree with all that you are saying.I remember as a communications undergrad learning that one of the roles of the press is to educate and make the people aware. But lest we forget that that comes secondary to the aim of selling as many papers and advertising space as possible.I am sure that you are aware of the average Kenyan’s fascination with politics, they will talk about it day in and day out and most of the time not from an activist view point but from a party,tribal,individual view point. These political battles are Kenya’s version of America’s teen star wars ( no not the epic movie series ). But that of course does not make it ok. As a one time owner of a Kenyan press card you would be surprised how deep in bed many editors and politicians are there are many stories that would break politicians that have never made it to the mainstream media never think that those A4s/gutter press publications are all lies. “

The fact that Kenyans are fascinated with politics may explain the nature of the content that dominates Kenyan newspapers but it really doesn’t explain the quality. In fact, I think the papers would sell more if they did more hard hitting reporting. Remember the Standard expose on “politically correct” people? That edition was sold out.

I think one of the main underlying problems is, as Acolyte points out, corruption within the main newspapers. “Juicy” stories are killed all the time by “credible” journalists. The fact if you want your story to get publicized or if you want media attention you are pretty much limited to two newspapers also makes it necessary for people to try not to “piss off” journalists…I’ve seen this happen. There’s also a fear of defamation lawsuits and our poor track record at protecting whistleblowers. Then there’s the way the major media houses are being run today. Most of them rely on freelance writers to cut on salary costs and there are claims that reputable journalists find themseleves sidelined when they try to challenge the status quo.

Not sure how to get out of this conundrum…anyone want to start (and fund!) a newspaper?

233 comments to What is ailing Kenyan journalism?

  • You ought to take part in a contest for one of the highest
    quality sites on the internet. I will highly recommend this web site!

  • Video marketing is set to take over as the prime method affiliate marketers use
    to communicate in future. Promoting through television can cost an arm and a leg, although radio and print may be cheaper in comparison it can still
    be very costly that you’ll end up having no limbs to spare.
    It’s better to not make an impression than making a bad impression on your
    viewers. It is a very easy and cheap way of marketing because free software and digital cameras are
    enough to create a promotional video. Offering people a theme, story, or a voyeuristic look
    at a somewhat exclusive experience is also often very entertaining.

    My web-site P1 Video Magnet review, Brandie,

  • Today’s systems are done in one” getting rid of the computer, cooling system and also separate controller needed in the older laser device markers. The company also reported a rise in new orders.

    my website plastic bag manufacturer

  • Hammer Artikel. Ebenso schön, wie Gaming auch. So verrissen das Spielen auch dargestellt
    wird, so ist experimentell festgestellt worden, dass zocken, ein dem
    Alter angemessenes Spiel vorausgesetzt, förderlich für das Reaktionsvermögen des Spielenden sein kann.
    Beim Zocken lernt man ohne Stress schnell zu Entscheiden und seine Prioritäten zu
    gewichten. Viele Spiele vermitteln darüber hinaus auch Kenntnisse über das Wirtschaften und fördern logisches Denken. Sogar die verpönten Multiplayer Games können doch häufig den an den Haaren herbeigezogenen Effekt der
    Vereinsamung} umkehren. Der Spielende mag mitunter vielen verkommenen Subjekten begegnen, allerdings findet der Spieler nur zu oft genau in seinem
    favorisierten Game Gleichgesinnte.
    Kurz und Knapp: das Spielen ist geil! Gaming ist Kunst.

  • Wine coolers such as the New – Air AW-181E Wine Cooler are a breath of fresh air for wine enthusiasts.

    This feature is very suitable for those people who have
    small kitchen space. As for the fruit juice needed
    by a wine cooler there is certainly usually a mixture that
    really much is determined by the nature in the wine too.

  • I like looking through a post that will make men and women think.
    Also, thank you for allowing for me to comment!

  • Hi everybody, here every person is sharing these knowledge, so it’s
    pleasant to read this blog, and I ussed to go to see this blog all the time.

  • I aam actually thankful to the holder of this site whho has shared
    this impressive paragraph at here.

  • think most of the fads, silly equipment, and ineffective programs are
    a . It decreases your metabolic rate and diminishes your ability to do physical activities.
    Author: Dr Deepa Apt.

  • Packaged green vegetables, canned chopped potatoes or beans, whole grains or sandwich, a few packets of brown rice, and 94% fat-free popcorn baked
    by microwave oven(a cop of it contains about 20~25 calories).

    It decreases your metabolic rate and diminishes your ability to do physical activities.
    For the supplement the berries are highly refined to
    obtain pulp pure.

  • References. Enumerating the Top 7 Luxurious Places to Lose Weight.
    This way, you can divide your daily calorie intake without having
    to undergo fasting or skipping meals.

  • That is a really good tip particularly to those fresh
    to the blogosphere. Short but very precise information… Thank you for
    sharing this one. A must read article!

  • This is why they made the navigation on the LG
    Optimus 3D mobile phone so simple. s i – OS) for
    a consistent experience, a new, emerging challenge is being usable across the entire gamut of devices.
    Some of the exact same approaches are used in each kinds of retrieval.

  • Here’s a look at the four of the best i – Phone racing games from the i
    – Tunes App store. Open – VPN comes with better
    encryption and privacy features however, and you may want to
    install this third party software if you’re in places like China, or are generally worried about getting hacked.
    As with all bikes, electric or otherwise, be careful and wear all safety equipment.

  • Always eat within an hour or two of exercising.

    You will also learn how restricting calories will further hamper your chances of losing weight.
    .

  • Great post. I am facing some of these issues as well..

    My web blog ciltep stack

  • You can even ask them, if you feel comfortable enough, whether it would
    be possible to try out their machine or your leg or arm.
    m beginning to sound like an informercial but the claims are that there really are
    things you can do that can help get that youthful jawline and line free forehead back.
    It targets individual hairs and gives great results.

    my website philips epilator hp6400 (Jaimie)

  • Now you have a sense – kinda – of the potential influence of heredity and environment.
    Step 3: Now it’s entirely up to you which steps you want to take if
    you get water on or in your camera and I take no responsibility for
    your actions, but here are some tips and suggestions on what you
    can try if your camera gets wet:. If you multiply 1,024 by the number of genes – both latent and dominant then you have a
    staggering complexity of possibilities in your makeup.

  • IAD (i – Phone – Application – Developers) is a renowned
    i – Phone game development company. If you don’t desire to you don’t need to
    make use of this software. Sync (Ford) and On – Star (GM)
    are location tracking technologies that help find and recover stolen cars.

  • Mia

    Thiss means that ddvelopers will be able to integrate
    Adobe image editing capabilities for users. There’s a
    whole lot morre developments happening wit their ddesktop apps as well ass new features and integration with the Creative Cloud.
    Well I enjoy using a combination of Adobe Illustrator
    and Adobe Photoshop.

  • Qui est pourquoi les antécédents de crédit n’est pas grave en cas se servant de mauvais crédit pret personnel.

  • Worldwide the company employs over 12,000 men and women, who
    tirelessly work to produce the high quality, comfortable shoes
    that Clarks has been known to provide. They will practice design skills by experimenting with how the different
    colors and textures look combined with other designs and textures.
    The size of the western-style garment industry is
    accounted to 5,500 million pieces worth Rs.

  • For latest news you have to pay a visit internet and on the
    web I found this site as a most excellent website for most up-to-date updates.

  • Thanks a lot for sharing this with all people
    you really understand what you are talking about! Bookmarked.
    Kindly also consult with my website =). We may have a link change contract
    between us

    website (Barb)

  • Video chatting is good for those who prefer to see the person they’re talking to, and for informal
    video conferences. Individuals are required to handle the reports
    in coordination with the websites, which are currently
    running the websites. Regardless of your perspective on this, I suggest you look for a Liseum near you,
    sometime in the very near future.

  • Je viens de voir ton dernier post.. Pour une carte ce sont nos amis islandais qui nous l’avaient achetee et ce petit
    livre est une mine!!

  • Watch all Indian, Pakistani, Telugu, Sinhala, Bhutanese, Japanese, Bollywood,
    Hollywood, HD, films for totally free with out downloading.

  • Right now it sounds like BlogEngine is the top blogging
    platform available right now. (from what I’ve
    read) Is that what you’re using on your blog?

  • […] s in boots, cinderella and the dwarves… Kenyan Pundit in her informative style asks “What is ailing Kenyan Journalism?” Kenyan Prodigal daughter says that there is a slowness to how […]

  • […] @ 15:06 EST Sub-Saharan Africa Kenya Global Roundups Kenyan Pundit comments on the amnesia of the Kenyan Press….”I think the Kenyan press is no less complicit and it […]

  • […] es here write up on “What is ailing Kenyan journalism” with a Part III…..Part I and Part II Sokari Ekine   « Ethiopia: Book reviews  […]

  • Yep

    It is easier to fix Unix than to live with NT.

  • Smile

    If Bill Gates had a dime for every time a Windows box crashed…
    …Oh, wait a minute, he already does.