SELF-CENSORSHIP, SPINELESS JOURNALISM AND A PRESS FREEDOM PARAGON

Call it self-censorship, coerced self-censorship or assisted self-censorship. Despite frequent assertions of being independent, fearless and courageous, the media in Kenya can be described as being timid. The slightest of existential threats can trigger the greatest compromise of editorial integrity. Yet amid this sea of spineless journalism, is a rare paragon of press freedom.

The discussion at a graduate school lesson in London, almost ten years ago, turned to external and internal forces that hinder media operations.

And when the lecturer asked for examples of interference with press freedom, I had it all figured out, (with the option of suspense-inducing sound effects).

The class listened attentively as I narrated how a TV expose by a brave reporter, who risked great danger while filming in a neighbouring country, generated so much tension in the newsroom.

After immense pressure from government functionaries, who in turn were probably getting their own dose of high voltage jolts from officials of the neighbouring country, the management of the media house gave an assurance that the story will not air.

But convincing the broadcast managing editor to drop the story, proved to be unlike any other battle to safeguard the independence of the media.

He remained adamant about the story being flighted, and in a very professional manner, dismissed the concerns of the media company's CEO.

To ensure the story does not air, no less a person than the editorial director was dispatched to monitor the TV news desk. But the ME devised ingenious ways of ensuring the clip got to the gallery play-out, much to the trepidation of the editorial director.

And as I applauded this gallant journalist in my class presentation, I seized the opportunity to raise the appreciation levels several notches higher, with a memorable clincher.

I delightfully finished by telling the captive audience:

"I am happy to inform you that this courageous broadcast manager, who is also my boss, was a student in this very same same class we are in."

Ahhh...the satisfaction of that statement...and the sudden realization that we could all be destined for such greatness...remains among my most cherished memories from the University of Westminster.

POSTSCRIPT

Some years later after my studies, and re-engaging with the same employer, I got to witness another version of the fierce independence of this paragon of press freedom.

But this time, it was a bit unsettling.

Two events of national importance were happening simultaneously, and only one could be televised live.

One was the vetting of the then yet to be appointed former Director of Public Prosecutions, now a Cabinet Secretary.

And the other was the reading of the national Budget, by the then Finance minister, who is now the president of Kenya.

Our paragon of press freedom had the final word on what the station should broadcast live.

It wasn't the Budget speech!

LESS THAN SH2 BUDGET FOR SPORTS, OXYMORONS AND MEDIA MORONS

Editorial mistakes, however tiny or innocent are an eye sore. The annoyance-laden grammatical errors are often sugar-coated as typos, as if that lessens their sting. But at times the intended meaning becomes grossly distorted, courtesy of inattentive copy editors. How can the Kenyan government allocate less than two shillings to sports, in the annual budget?

That is the impression created in a sub-heading of an article appearing in the country's leading daily. There's a very glaring omission that renders this assertion nonsensical.

You see it...I see it...but apparently...the newspaper's combined editorial and production hierarchy could not detect it.

Who knew a 'b' could be that important. I'll try to let it be.

Hold on.

In another section of the same paper, a story is told of a bank that has embarked on a very peculiar quest.

Other than Sh 3 billion in equity from a strategic investor, the lender, it appears, is looking for a:

"... Sh800 million debt."

This Thursday edition was a gem of a publication for seekers of press peeves.

Lo and behold! The country's monopolistic electricity provider, is also pained by its own inadequacies.

It's maybe possible but hard to draw a different conclusion from the part of the highlighted article.

Oh well...we have survived worse instances of media incompetence.

Anyone remembers the 'super' man who hang onto dear life below an airborne helicopter?

He later resurfaced in a hospital and granted one of the local TV stations an interview, as a 'suicide victim'.

It's hard to tell if that was a functional oxymoron or someone was just being a moron.

MY APOLOGIES FOR A NASTY AND VINDICTIVE MEDIA

Do news sources have a right to turn down an interview request? And if they decline to comment on an issue, should they in turn be vilified or even ridiculed, when the story in question is published or aired? This has been my experience, stemming from my previous blog post. And if that's what news sources at times go through, then please, accept my apologies for all the times the media has been nasty and vindictive.

Perhaps I invited such coverage I can live with that. But this experience is eye-opening in the sense that it has brought to the fore the way the media can be manipulative. This is something, which as a journalist, I might have or even inadvertently continue to perpetuate. Hence my apologies.


It all began very politely, after this blog generated quite some interest. I received a formal request for an interview.

My reasons for declining the interview had to do with contractual obligations. But I guess the person pursuing the interview with me did not see it that way.

Notice the sharp change of tone from, when the interview was first being solicited, to the reaction after I declined the offer.

Maybe I erred by turning down the request and I have no business complaining about the contents of the published story, since I turned down a request to have my input incorporated.


I strongly felt I had said all that I needed to say, and I didn't wish the matter to unpredictably progress any further.

Pertinent question indeed. If Expression Today had approached me soon after the NTV incident, or shortly after the Media Council of Kenya magazine came out, I probably would have elected to talk to them, if I had not already put my version of events in the public domain.

I had only one bullet to use, without compromising my contractual obligations!

SELLING NHS ON KENYAN TV: REASONS NOT TO BUY

Once again I feel compelled to emphasise the need for Kenyan media houses to balance their reportage. Again, it all has to do with enabling the audience to see the complete picture. If you are comparing provision of public healthcare between Kenya and the UK, e.g., don't just dwell on the strengths of the National Health Service, as if blind to its renowned failures.

   

Granted, many Kenyans would appreciate a comparison of a working national social healthcare system, for them to get an understanding of what the NHIF plan to roll out the same locally, would be like. And there is definitely nothing wrong with highlighting the organisational or structural components of the NHS.

But I feel it would have been equally important to point out weaknesses or challenges that NHS has had to contend with. These are well documented, like the latest report, which suggests that, 'NHS failings lead to deaths of 24,000 diabetics each year.'

As a matter of fact, there's a webpage that has plenty of links in a, 'List of articles chronicling the failures of the NHS and other socialised medical systems.'

Incorporating some of the negatives of NHS, in NTV's presentation, would have added immense value to the local debate and unfolding scandal, as the NHIF, which is Kenya's equivalent to the UK's public health insurance provider, seeks to implement a social medical scheme.

It would have made it plain to see that no system is perfect, when it comes to deliverables, and that after dealing with the issues associated with 'corrupted' public tendering processes locally, the problems would be far from over.

THIS NEWS IS RATED PG. PARENTAL GUIDANCE IS ADVISED

The horror. The injustice. The violation of human rights. The suspect and the not so gentlemanly officers. These words can't even describe a news clip first screened by one Kenyan TV station, before the others followed suit, given the high profile reaction it elicited. Simply playing the raw footage in a prime time bulletin was bold but extreme. Unless the news was rated PG.

Screening the graphic violence meted on a hapless youth by the security agents in its entirety, passed the acceptable threshold in my opinion. Yes it probably was necessary to capture the gruesomeness of the assault. But playing the clip ad nauseum, made it revolting.

And then there was the part of the uncensored 'uncouth' language.' These officers were audibly and repeatedly referring to the young man's privates and yet the editor let this pass. Or has the utterance of certain words, long considered obscene, suddenly become acceptable in public?

Great effort, albeit inadequate in some instances, was made to digitally cover the man's modesty, given that the officers were determined to unleash their whipping frenzy on bare skin, preferably on the posterior end of his anatomy.




So why wasn't the same ethical editing consideration made for the unpalatable reference to the man's privates? True to the offensive word being unprintable, the sub-title left it blank.

But for anyone who understands Kiswahili, this was a wasted effort because the same word was being loudly thrown about with careless abandon in the news clip. If there were any kids watching this piece of news, then they have the TV to blame for a lewd addition to their everyday parlance.

The footage was delivered without any voice over to give it proper context. This perhaps was designed to bring out the full extent of the despicable conduct of government security agents. But with hindsight, this decision appears to have been ill-advised.

It turns out the incident actually happened three years ago!

THE 'MORAL CRIME' OF COVERING CRIME NEWS

A television news crew on a New Year's eve assignment, stumbles upon a gang of youths, daringly robbing people in the streets of Nairobi. The crew keeps the camera rolling and the next day, the story is in the main bulletins. Did the news crew commit any moral crime?



According to some people, it was unfair for the TV crew to have just continued to film, as people were being mugged openly. Here is a sample of some of the complaints about this particular story.

'Seriously, am a big fan of NTV but after watching that clip, I realised you are only after news and you do not care about the common guy that was being mugged! Your editorial team is heartless.'

'Shame on the media for enjoying the miseries of the common mwananchi.'

'NTV crew says you trailed the muggers for 30 minutes, why didn't you alert the Central Police and you have their hotline numbers? Only to show Kenyans you are working and can't help them. Shame on you.'

It is during the coverage of such stories that one gets to appreciate just how complex the work of a journalist is, how difficult it is to meet perceived expectations from the public, and how easy it is to be vulnerable to all manner of condemnations, for simply doing you job.

This is what one of the NTV crew members had to say about this particular story:

"We were actually on our way to film another story, when we noticed a gang robbing people in the streets. As we trailed them, we kept warning people to avoid going in the gang's direction and urged them to stop using their cell phones openly. But sadly, some ignored our advice. The gang was violent and we too had to think of our personal security and that of the filming equipment.  We did try to inform the police officers on patrol that we came across, but it seems like they were a bit overwhelmed because the gang kept changing their movement from street to street."

So there you have it. The team did it's best in having the welfare of those being attacked at heart, other than just focusing on the unfolding crime story.

This story, perhaps reflects the eternal predicament faced by journalists globally. Do you detach yourself from the suffering of the people you are doing a story about, or do you put your professional responsibility aside and be human first?

HELP! A REVISE EDITOR TO ARREST ERRORS WANTED

Revise Editor. Quality Controller. The importance of either of these titles or holders of these positions in a newsroom should never have to be justified. Automation or the loftiest of technological advancements just seem incapable of eliminating 'human errors' in finished news products.

With TV news, the level of alertness required from an editor is probably more taxing because, well, whatever is being processed, be it news highlights, lower-third story tags or titles, sometimes have to go straight on air.

And matters get complicated if it's one person doing this wonderful example of high pressure multi-tasking. The result: the hideous spelling mistakes you see in your evening TV bulletin, the humongous grammatical howlers or simply put, a very dedicated 'mission possible' to massacre the English language.

The solution: a revise editor or quality controller. A fresh or last set of eyeballs to go through the finished news product, especially its textual or graphical elements.

Call me a division of labour junkie but at times you really give your best to ensure the product is error free, only to be made aware of some very embarrassing albeit elementary mistakes, just when it's impractical to redeem your grammar soul.

Now here is the funny part though. Most local newspaper or magazine publishers I know of, do have somebody designated to do the work of a revise editor or quality controller. And yet grammatical or even factual errors do abound in finished products.

There is usually an elaborate chain of people, nay, 'journalistic 'experts or gatekeepers, strategically placed in the assembly line of a newspaper, from the reporters, to the news editors, from the sub editors to the managing editor. And oh yes, somewhere along the line is often a revise editor.

It thus beats me, why a newspaper story should pass all these checks and publishing pit-stops and still hit the newsstands, stating that Uganda is among the major East African cities, like Nairobi and Dar es Salaam.

Neither is it that easy to comprehend why a 'famous' football team from Germany should be referred to as 'Hamburger!!' (Oh the horror, given it's the team I have been supporting for donkey years).

But then again, as a fellow error-prone journalist, I shouldn't be too quick to pass judgement.

MADE IN KENYA TV SOAP: BORING OR BUBBLY?

It is no longer a secret. Television soap operas are some of the most popular programmes in Kenya, which explains why every local channel has a catalogue of them. Along comes a made in Kenya TV soap, which could either be bubbly and popular like foreign imports, or similarly boring to some people.

It seems those who hate soaps do so with a deep passion, whereas fans passionately follow the unfolding drama so religiously, so much so that their tears could flow freely just from watching a character's misery unfolding.

And men need not pretend any more that soaps are for dames and madams. A good number of avid followers come from the masculine side of the gender divide.

As a matter of fact, I have had the opportunity of answering a very late caller to NTV news desk, who was bitterly protesting that the soap being aired at that point was a repeat. A quick time check told me it was approaching midnight. And the voice was distinctively male.

So, will ' Kenya's first soap' continue to tickle the fancy of viewers, with the usual mix of people losing their memory only to gradually regain it to the detriment of the lead actor or actress, a glamorous wedding between people with sinister motives camouflaged as love, lot's of crying, and other staple soap plots?

Or will the interest wear out as the plot thins out?

A MULTIPLE MULTIMEDIA REALITY CHECK

I have had great expectations of venturing into the domain of a fully fledged multimedia brand of journalism. I still do but the reality is fast dawning on me that customizing all the online skills I have learned to suit my current job is not that simple.

During my academic sojourn in London, I kept dreaming of grand projects I could implement once I resume my NTV newsroom duties in Kenya. Well, I am here now and the quest of accomplishing my lofty ideas is not coming together as I had envisioned.

For a long time, I had developed a close working relationship with 'Google Search' as I sought to put together websites that would not only satisfy the examiners but also equip me with lifelong digital media skills.

But I find it difficult to now even put together a credible web-based video gallery, quite humbled technically, by the amount of coding I have to do, even with the Google-aided assistance.

But that is not to say the challenges are not surmountable. Only that I need to redouble my efforts and dedication to the multimedia cause.

This is where perhaps the sagacity of appealing to the wisdom of the crowd could come through for me. I am not giving up. I will deliver my targets as per the briefs I get and will once look back and ask:

 "How daft was I?"

AWARD-WINNING JOURNALISTS SHOULD GIVE SOMETHING BACK TO THEIR STORY SOURCES

Many award-winning journalists take pride in dedicating their success to the sources of their stories. The mention at the podium could be based on the hope that highlighted problems will attract the attention they deserve. Or the showcased success would be celebrated and even replicated elsewhere. But is that enough?

There is no denying that in meriting recognition for outstanding journalistic work, some media practitioners go through lots of difficulties and even direct threats to their very existence. Undercover or investigative reporters could definitely expound on this issue.

Others cover great distances before accessing remote areas that eventually produce a gem of a story, worthy of critical acclaim. And even after getting the raw information on the ground, accomplished journalists have been known to infuse their own brand of story-telling magic to make their coverage truly stand out.

My 2007 CNN African Journalism Award

So the moment journalists get honoured for their exemplary professional achievement, they can't be faulted for taking it as their personal source of pride and ample proof of their credentials as worthy scribes.

Of course many will remember to thank the Almighty, family, colleagues and a word or two is reserved for the subjects in their award-winning pieces.

 I can't help but imagine how much better it would have been for me to go back to that community of Mwingi, in rural Kenya, that provided the setting for my winning environment entry at the 2007 CNN African Journalist Awards. It's a crying shame that I have never privately gone back to say thank you and share with them my success.



Likewise, this years' winner in the Economic and Business category, NTV Kenya's Kaara Wainaina, can perhaps spend some time with those hearty and astute grandmothers, whose model banking system earned him his trophy. 


Rose Wangui from NTV also, could share her success on the ground with the children, whose moving tale of a troubled pursuit of education, earned Wangui her TV News Bulletin accolade. 


The same goes to the likes of Sarah Kimani, formerly of NTV but now working for SABC and the overall 2009 CNN African Journalist of the Year, who recently switched to NTV from KTN, John- Allan Namu, as well as other Kenyan winners of the prestigious awards. 


As a matter of fact, the sponsors of the competition should consider setting aside some cash token or material benefits for the subjects or communities, whose coverage yield the award-winning entries. 


That way, it will definitely cease to look like journalists getting rewarded for exploiting the stories and circumstances of their news sources, to weave brilliant winning pieces only for the highlighted stories to be forgotten in readiness for the next round of competition.