NEWS PRESENTATION 101: THE NTV COUNTY EDITION WAY

In yet another phenomenal departure from your usual news presentation, the news anchors of NTV County Edition have been dazzling viewers with their tasteful traditional outfits that reflect the culture of the community from where they are broadcasting from.

In a commendable effort to fit in and indeed depict the seriousness given to the strategy of devolving news to the very grass-root level, the anchors have bequeathed a much needed appreciation for the diverse nature of Kenya's ethnic communities.

It is a marvel to watch this mode of county news presentation, given its added authentic feel and how the anchor introductions seamlessly flow into the video clips of the main stories, in a very contextualized fashion.

It is a welcomed deviation from the very common suits for men and formal wear wear for women, which predictably oscillates between skirt or trouser suits with brightly coloured tops.

I am of the school of thought that feels it looks awkward for a male TV reporter, e.g., to be telling a sports story and then appear in a tie and suit, when doing a piece to camera from the stadium or whatever sports arena.

So the idea of donning traditional outfits is quite refreshing and also communicates the fact that NTV County Edition is not seeking to indulge in parachute journalism, where they just land in a part of Kenya and then pretentiously seek to appear to know all there is to know about a given region.

Instead, one gets the feeling that the crew is trying hard to first understand the stories they are covering and the values of their host communities, knowing too well that they are outsiders at the very least, before relaying the same to an expectant national audience.

It is indeed a joy to watch regional news sugar-coated with such an underlying sense of focused treatment, designed to bring out all the issues in an enlightened yet humble mode of presentation, devoid of any negative pre-conceptions.

And that in essence, is the beauty, strength and enduring appeal of NTV's County Edition

COUNTING ON THE COUNTY EDITION

It represents a significant shift in the way news is delivered in Kenya. The philosophy behind it being that with the passage of the new Constitution that is hinged on a devolved system of governance, news too should be devolved. That is why you can count on the County Edition to bring you news coverage from the very grassroot level. 


It's rather unfair and preposterous to assume that the major news stories in Kenya can only come from the capital Nairobi, and yet that for a long time has been the case.

So one gets to be regularly treated with a heavy dosage of news about what the politicians have been up to, either from the comfort of posh offices, homes or even hotels, even if the matter they purport to be addressing affects people in remote constituencies.

So what better way to shift the media focus away from the centre than to dedicate three days every week for a systematic and intensive coverage of other parts of Kenya, as categorized by counties.

There being 47 counties in all, it really leaves no room to have any one region overlooked and subsequently in the long run, untold stories and faces are almost guaranteed of a piece of the media spotlight.

Granted, it may appear as if the NTV County Edition  is giving undue time to what appears to be mundane stories that don't necessarily exude national importance type of issues. But that is precisely the point.

The news agenda should not always be prescribed to the audience from media organizations. They too can and ought to be given a chance to articulate what they feel is important to them.

It is high time the media entrenched a culture of listening to what its audience has to say and not just disseminating packaged information, with inherent slants and calculated agendas.