REVEALED: WHY DEATHS FROM LETHAL BREWS SHOULD NOT STRIKE AGAIN

It's been a tragic period in Kenya. The local media has been awash with stories of death and anguish, attributed to the consumption of lethal brews. The press has also tried to give some analysis. But it being a familiar calamity, the media should go further in demanding corrective and even punitive action against the culprits and culpable state officials.

Unlike what is stated in the newspaper headline above, I think there's really nothing major to reveal about the, '...poison that killed 76 brew victims.'

Indeed, from the nature of the deaths and particularly the fact that many survivors had reportedly lost their sight, an almost obvious clue is evident from the very beginning. It has happened more than one time before, remember, and so there was hardly anything new to report about the cause of the deaths.

At times I think such stories reflect some symptoms of lazy journalism. Lazy because it's like the journalists have just chanced upon an event, and have the not so difficult task of working backwards, in piecing the details together and infusing comments, quotes or expert opinion.

We need a more forward looking approach. That's our best shot in preventing a re-occurrence of these killer brews tragedies. And follow-up stories need not wait for calamity to strike again.

2 years ago I did a feature #SistersofDeath that exposed #KillerDrinks and their trade.What has Govt done since? #Nacada #KEBS @ntvkenya
— janengoiri (@janengoiri) May 8, 2014

The Sisters of Death expose was a real eye opener, but sadly, it apparently then was reduced to a mere TV news edutainment, after the initial shock wore off.

However difficult, relentless attempts should have been made to rope in concerned government officials, at that time, instead of asking why action has never been taken, two years later.

Prior to the illicit liquor deaths news, a broadcast news station aired a story of some men spending all the money earned from doing menial jobs, in dingy drinking dens. No effort was made to try and establish the nature of the drinks being consumed.

In other words, the media needs to do more than just mere reportage, (and saying death seems to be the least of their concern).

We pontificate about the underlying issues that drive people to partake of unlicensed brews, as if we truly can feel their subverted inspiration or desperation.

But a greater service to the country will emanate from a sustained effort to prevent a repeat of such tragedies, by ensuring the lessons that need to be learnt, need not be relearnt again.

UPDATE
The Kenyan government has now interdicted 52 officials. The minister concerned has also announced a raft of measures, which hopefully, will prevent a repeat scenario of illicit liquor claiming the lives of Kenyans.

Not surprisingly, Kenyan media outlets have started to headline this development. The fact that it has taken 4 days for the state to issue an official response, over 80 deaths later notwithstanding, seems not to have appeared odd for the local press.

IS SCARS OF WAR A WORRY TO WARRIORS?

The media thrives in telling stories that evoke powerful emotions. Feedback from a captivated audience serves to further justify the airing or publishing of such stories. But one needs to examine the impact from a wider scope. Scars of war can be scary. Is it wise to focus on Kenyans, who've lost their lives fighting for the country, while more soldiers are still at the battlefront?

The loss for the affected families is truly immeasurable. Their personal accounts of how the tragedy of losing loved ones has impacted their lives, could easily bring one to tears.

Indeed, the local media house involved, did do a sterling job of bringing this suffering to the public domain, especially the fact that there seemed to be something a miss in the way the military was handling the grieving families.

But please allow me to say, "However"...

...One needs to also think about the very high possibility of causing discomfort, and raising already high anxiety levels in Kenyan families that still have sons or daughters deployed in an active war situation.

How about the soldiers themselves? Couldn't such stories demoralise them, as they continue to defend their country by putting their lives on the line?

They may be highly trained and disciplined. But I believe they never stop being human.

Spare a thought too, to the country as a whole. How much difficult will it be to swell the ranks of combatants, required to safeguard the country from external aggression?

What if families in unison dissuade their children from joining the armed forces? Are we ready for forced conscription?

And can the enemy prey on this sensitivity, by sadistically brutalising captured officers, knowing well the kind reaction such images could provoke, if well circulated in mainstream and social media?

Before you dismiss this argument as being beyond far-fetched, recall what happened, before the mighty USA pulled its troops out of Somalia in a huff.

Scary does not even begin to describe the feeling, right?

WHEN FAILURE TO AUTHENTICATE AUTHENTICATES FAILURE

The airing of an election-related expose, in one of Kenya's TV stations, has elicited sharply divided opinion, with some questioning its substance, level of fresh content as well as the timing. Still, some hailed it as the indictment of a flawed 2013 electoral process. The verdict would have perhaps been unanimous, had there been no failure to authenticate.

It has all to do with the alleged secret recording of a senior election official in a conversation with an unidentified person named Mr X. From the investigative story, it is clear that the official denied being the one captured in the audio recording.

In the English version, the reporter also admits the voice on the recording had not been verified as belonging to the currently suspended official.

And therein lies my main concern. Why was there no indication of a serious attempt having been made to independently authenticate the recordings, so as to establish whether it could be correctly linked to the official?

The audience is thus left with some doubt, with no proper way of making an informed conclusion as to whether the expose was dwelling on fact, conjecture or mere speculation.

In between interviewing sources in Ghana or South Africa, it would have been prudent to engage the services of a voice identification expert, if the same could not have been found locally.

Below is a sample of the reactions on social media platforms.

A CON SHOW INTERVIEW OF KONSHENS

The purpose of media interviews is to extract useful information from persons of interest. The information must be about or from the person of interest. And you use background information to bring fresh information to the fore. This was hardly the case in recent TV interviews of a Jamaican dancehall artiste, ahead of his performance in Kenya.

For starters, it's good broadcast practise for some professional distance to be maintained, between the interviewer and their subject. Even the choice of words should reflect this imaginary but crucial space.

So, it was shocking to hear the host in one of the TV station react to the mere name of the studio guest by saying:

"It's kinda cute name...I like it..."

Cute? I like it? Are the opinions and feelings of the host adding value to the interview?

And when the guest said he was 'in love' with Kenya, again the host let out an unbelievable:

"Yeeey!!"

But it gets worse. At some point, she claps and mumbles something like (it):

"...brought a tear in my eye..."

Then shortly afterwards, she yet again gets all emotional. The Jamaican dancehall artiste says he believes success is a journey not a destination, to which the host replies:

"My gosh I have to write that down...that's awesome..."

It has profusely been already pointed out that this TV presenter was awestruck and openly 'attracted' to the interviewee ('I'm your biggest fan alive'). And I tend to agree. But I'll be quick to also point out that it's part of being human.

I can relate because the time I was on assignment in Kingston, Jamaica, I visited Harmony House production centre, home to reggae living legend, Beres Hammond.

As I awaited a reply to my interview request, I moved to the records shop but had difficulty pointing out to the attendant, which particular song I wanted, in the many CDs on sale. I knew the tune but not the words, let alone the title of the song, so all I could come up with was a terribly off-key hummed rendition.

Then the shop attendant gave me the surprise of my life. Visibly fed up with my awkward query, he suddenly brightened up and told me:

"There's Beres behind you. Let's ask him. Hey Beres....?

I turned and sure enough Beres was there in person. Needless to say, I froze. Up to this day, I can only remember Beres saying he was too busy at that point to grant a TV interview. Nothing about the song I wanted to buy. I eventually took a guess and got the CD with the song, 'Not Over Till It's Done' but I digress.

The point I'm making is that once in a while, one does get overwhelmed to the point of 'acting funny' while in the presence of someone they regard in very high esteem.

However, reason must always prevail in a live studio situation. And that means keeping the focus on the guest. Does the host have to tell us, (and her probably bored interviewee) that in her family, she's in the middle, just like the Jamaican, but only has brothers?

It does help to do thorough research, before the interview, to avoid sounding very ignorant. The artiste comes from Jamaica, an island, meaning the place is surrounded by water. So why ask the guest whether he will be interested in visiting the beaches along Kenya's coastline?

The other host from the TV station that simulated a 'Live' interview of the same artiste, equally failed in this respect. He gloriously displayed his limited 'overstanding' of Jamaica's local music scene.

And when the guest mentioned Bob Marley, I expected a follow-up discussion on the continuing posthumous influence of the late King of Reggae, decades later. But all I got was:

"Do you have a favourite Bob Marley song?"

I'm now more convinced there's no master of all subjects in Kenya, when it comes to conducting TV interviews. Maybe getting a co-host, who is a specialist in the relevant topic, will help bridge the knowledge gap.

OF WIRING JOBS AND TV NEWS PRESENTERS

TV news many a times thrives on creating an illusion of infallibility in the viewer's mind, to enhances its believability. There's also a perception cultivated of a mysterious ability of media houses to be always present, where all the interesting stories are happening. But Kenyan media houses are now determined to keep it so real, so as to reveal their insider wiring secrets.

So, a viewer can now easily start questioning, why the news presenters must have gadgets strapped on their backs or other parts of their bodies. And in responding to such curiosity, a discussion about the functions of talk-backs is invited.

It's nowadays also hard to avoid noticing a wire-like thingamajig sticking out from a presenter's ear, and disappearing to God knows where, down their back.

One can actually conclude the news presenters must be powered using electricity from the mains!

Does that explain the constant scratching and tagging on the ears..a little shock perhaps?

And on close scrutiny, it looks like some news presenters have another cable extending to the mouth. It actually appears like that 'thing' is sellotaped on the skin, doesn't it?

Honesty might be the best policy, but in broadcast news, a viewer should not be distracted from partaking of the news, by such wiring and cabling jobs all over the presenters.

Come to think of it. For female presenters, this is one area the much maligned weaves can come in handy. No doubt they can conceal much more than the true state of one's natural hair.

THIS PAPER IS PROUD TO PUBLISH POST MORTEM PICTURES, GORY NO WORRY

A Kenyan newspaper has found itself in an unenviable position of disagreeing to agree with its readers. The paper insists its decision to publish a grotesque image in its front page, was based on sound reasoning. The justification further cements the belief that there was an abdication of editorial responsibility.

The paper begins by a telling admission:

"...the Star ran a graphic photo of the body of the late Sheikh Makaburi on the front page..."

This does not take into account the extent to which the word graphic' entails. So one might not appreciate the full impact of the gory image used. But I can tell you for free the chosen picture was utterly distasteful.

Then the editor seeks to provide a contextual backup, arguing that:

"...the photo had overriding news value. Its publication was not gratuitous. The public was extremely interested."

What news value? Does it mean the other media outlets in the country missed the 'story' by not capturing that being referred to as, 'overriding news value'? It can similarly be argued that if the public is extremely interested in pornography, acts of copulation should be published copiously by the press.

The paper's editor continues with this spurious trajectory by concluding that past display of the bodies of Muammar Gaddafi and Saddam Hussein, was enough evidence of an acceptable precedence.

I wonder if the paper would have had the guts to publish the image of a captured Samuel Doe, with his genitalia exposed, now that only bad examples are being cited.

Yes, people need to know the truth. But we all know handling the truth and dealing with its full impact, is a different matter. Then comes this comparison:

"...Four terrorists were killed at Westgate but we have never seen their bodies.......With this photo we know for certain that Makaburi is dead."

What if the paper's reporter, correspondent or even stringer was at the scene and viewed the body, would their account be so unbelievable to the point of necessitating the use of a graphic image of a cadaver, for the story to be credible?

Can't there be, at the very least, an attempt to artistically and ethically produce a more appropriate image, which takes into account the various sensitivity levels?

True:

"A photo makes you understand with an immediacy that text can never achieve."

However, if indeed, "..people are being killed on both sides..." isn't it possible that the published picture could inflame angry emotions and cause more tension?

I guess that would mean more gory pictures for the paper to prominently publish!

DEATH DESENSITISATION IN THE MASS MEDIA

I regret to announce the death of death in a dead Kenyan newspaper. In yet another display of malevolent ineptitude, many readers have been left aghast by a sickening assault of ethical photojournalism. For all its editorial worth, the front page picture of a dead body robs humanity of the essence of being alive.

By eroding public sensitivity about the phenomenon called death, one runs a very high risk of also diminishing the value of life. That's what the editor elected to overlook.

Yes. Many have argued that the subject in the picture seemed to have been beckoning death with open arms, given his controversial views on recent terror attacks in Kenya.

Yes. Many people felt threatened by his direct and confrontational approach to resolving 'quasi-religious' differences.

Yes. The country's security apparatus was feeling immense heat from a public in dire need of reassurance that safety concerns are addressed decisively.

But.....

No. Elimination of perceived threats, without following the normal channels accorded by the country's legal system, undermines the rule of law.

No. The media must not spread further panic or augment animosity by stirring negative emotions.

And No. If the picture of a lifeless prominent person results in a newspaper selling all its copies, then there's something morbidly wrong with the paper's editorial policy.