THE MEDIA, COMPREHENSION BURDEN AND EGGS ON THE MILITARY

Let's assume I don't know. And I don't try to do some research because the search for an answer may leave more questions unanswered. The media should lighten the comprehension burden, especially for the not so enlightened readers, trying to figure out the link between a presidential visit, eggs, and the military.

We get the fact that the Kenyan president visiting the country's troops on the battlefront in Somalia, is historic.

We also expect this to be a huge morale booster to the soldiers.

We wouldn't be surprised if critics conclude this was a publicity stunt.

But from a headline that states:

Uhuru in historic Somalia visit, eggs on the military

...What are the chances of the average reader understanding what the sub-editor wanted to communicate?

Some brains could be fried, (think eggs).

The message may appear scrambled, (think eggs again).

And whether boiled or poached, (sorry, eggs again please), I sincerely hope this particular media outlet does not delight in seeing members of its audience with, (one last time), egg on their face!

SWIMMING IN THE JOURNALISM OCEAN AND INAPPROPRIATE SEA MEN

Some editorial errors in the Kenyan media scene are atrocious. Others are just plain stupid. Yet some are pardonable, and there are those that are simply hilarious. But then there's news content that is disgustingly inappropriate. See, men, swimming in the journalism ocean, is best left for well trained sea men.

Women too, off course do a splendid job in the media industry.

But see, men, there's something about sea men that...you know...the devil is in the details, (especially at the very bottom of the picture above!).

You still don't get it? Let me build...sorry! Allow me to bring a closer view to you.

Now this is really a load of editorial embarrassment, (please excuse any implied crassness).

SHEER NONSENSE, EDITORIAL DEFICIENCY AND NEWSROOMS NATIONAL DISASTER

There is sense. There is lack of sense. And then there's sheer nonsense, which some Kenyan media outlets have off late taken a keen interest in excelling at. The Editorial deficiency and inability to convey meaningful information to the audience should perhaps be declared a national disaster in newsrooms.

The on air blunders have ceased to be mere visual irritants.

One is at first amused, then bemused, before being left feeling intellectually abused.

In the news story tag above, this is what viewer is being asked to mentally process:

'Thugs shot dead woman after kidnapping her in Uthiru'

Television is full of make believe content but this is stretching it to the realm of lunacy!

Let's break down the appalling caption to try and establish the scale of idiocy being depicted.

- A 'dead' woman was shot by thugs.

- The thugs first kidnapped the 'dead woman' before shooting her.

This TV news channel should also be charged with first degree murder of the English language!

FRESH DISAPPOINTMENT AND NEWSPAPERS PEDDLING STALE NEWS

The pace at which news is produced is now remarkably faster, because the work of journalists is greatly supplemented by ordinary citizens, and the digital space also demands frequent updates of posted stories. This means traditional media outlets ought to figure a way of taking significant stories forward, to remain relevant. Newspapers peddling stale news are a fresh disappointment.

So, a prominent Kenyan politician is taken ill and predictably all the major papers have this story on their front page.

The different editorial teams, it appears, had the same motivation of milking dry this unfortunate development, to whet the readers' appetite and possibly shore up sales.

Back to the content though, and one story conjures up a number of scenarios, according to the assigned headlines.

The opposition politician either is:

- still admitted in hospital due to food poisoning

- still unwell at the time of publication of the story

- out of danger after being treated for food poisoning

The date of publication of this story is Thursday 9th March 2017, the same day that the key subject was reassuring the country about his health!

Hear ye...Hear ye...!

- The former prime minister fell in on Tuesday 7th March 2017.

-  He was discharged from hospital on Wednesday 8th March 2017.

Is this an admittance of failure to get this story when it was still hot?

And if the information was released late, and privacy issues were at play, should the story still have dominated the headlines, so belatedly?

With almost all major media outlets having an online first policy, when it comes to pushing stories to the audience, it's mighty odd for this story to be prominently retold in retrospect in the dailies.

But you've got to respect the resolve to cash in on a 'freshly squeezed' juicy stale story!

POLITICIANS, MEDIA OWNERSHIP AND NEUTERED NEUTRALITY

It has been argued before that news coverage neutrality is likely to be neutered, where media ownership is linked to politicians. Editorial independence and putting public interest first comes a distant second to proprietary interests. And this is coming to the fore as Kenya navigates through an electioneering period. 

The bias can be oh so subtle. But the media owner's influence can also be elaborately projected.

In this newspaper front page, there is an obvious attempt to offer a balanced coverage of the ruling and opposition coalitions.

What is not so evident, is the calculated placement of the articles.

The splash has a prominent person/party of immense interest (from the paper's perspective), and an accompanying big image to underscore the 'special' treatment.

A pseudo-sidebar story, is then thrown on the periphery of the front page, where chances of eyeballs landing are deliberately diminished

But directly below it comes the clever stuff.

What comes to mind when the averagely educated person comes across the acronym NASA?

Something to do with space exploration right?

In what could either be a mockery of Kenya's main opposition outfit, or a crafty political masterstroke, what is placed in close proximity to the NASA article is a strategic deviation to:

"Seven new planets with water discovered"

Yes. Astronomy.

If you think this is a mere coincidence, enjoy your flight of fancy!