OF SPLITTING HAIRS AND ON AIR HAIR

It might not be the most important element in TV news delivery. The appearance of news presenters, however, could be the tie breaker for many viewers, when deciding which Kenyan channel to watch news. It may seem like splitting hairs, but on air hair grooming is critical in making a newscaster to be easy on the eye.

You should want to avoid a look that gives the impression of being untidy, unkempt and generally unsightly.

Failure to do this has a direct impact on perceptions about a media house, because there's a valid reason why on air newsroom personnel are often reminded they are the face of the station.

Any credible broadcast news channel is thus likely to have an in-house grooming code, touching on acceptable on screen dressing, hairstyles, makeup, jewellery and many other details.

And significantly also, there ought to be budgetary support to enable news anchors, field reporters or program hosts to maintain the desired look and feel of the channel.

All these efforts might appear contradictory to the need to keep the attention of the viewer solidly on the news content.

Indeed, there have been numerous deliberate decisions to tone down what could amount to visual distractions, likely to make the audience deviate from the core purpose of watching news.

Apparently, the distraction can equally come from a 'strange' or 'unusual' appearance of newscasters or other on air talent.

That's why it is more desirable to be simple but not simplistic in the choice of wardrobe or hair styles, elegant but not eccentric, or classy but not flashy.

Watching news presenters need not be a hair raising experience!

THE REAL THREAT OF FAKE NEWS

A lot has been said and written about the negative impact of fake news. A robust verification process is often touted as the surest way of guarding against the so called alternative facts. But even the best assembled fact-checking mechanisms have been known to fail miserably. The real threat of fake news though, is how easily people believe the deception.

It especially seems like for the majority, any information posted on the Internet comes with a secret 'doubt-free' ingredient.

How else can one explain the incredible level of susceptibility, that makes even the most twisted story so believable?

Case in point, I was, queueing for hours to get essential Kenyan government services.

And despite gallant efforts to resist, I found myself becoming a very active listener of a conversation behind me.

A number of public personalities were given a not so private dress-down, with the discussion revolving around their ill-gotten wealth, perceived celebrity statuses, ruined relationships and even failed marriages.

I was tempted to intervene, when the name of someone I know personally was floated, and the chatter descended into outright falsehoods.

Now that's the real threat of fake news.

The kind of misinformation being exchanged at the hyper-local level is truly scary and the monster that social media has become is hugely to blame.

Indeed, online platforms have enabled those hell-bent to cause maximum damage, to have their own paradise on earth.

The fuel sustaining this gullibility could be the tremendously sophisticated way online information is packaged, that makes it hard to discern lies from the truth.

So now more than ever, is the time to sharpen one's internal truth-sensing instincts, for one to survive this onslaught of fake news.

BEFITTING BEEF WITH PRINT MEDIA

The print media has been grappling with how to retain a diminishing readership, with most readers now being averse to paying for content that by and large can be accessed online, on demand and on the go. This has in turn led to more editorial experimentation. I have no beef with creativity, but more needs to be done to achieve befitting relevance, beyond eye-catching headlines.

It's quite ingenious to use the 'urban' equivalent of the verb denoting quarrelling, to describe a cross-border disagreement over mainly 'rural' livestock, in the article above.

And it almost appears like the headline writer found it irresistible to string together 'beef' and 'cattle' to drive the point home rather colourfully.

But the article's headline, however, looks a bit odd, because the parties involved in the 'beef' are identified by a country and a city.

You would ordinarily expect either two countries being identified together, or both being represented by cities, for a more evenly weighted delivery of the intended meaning.

That notwithstanding, this use of 'beef' is to a large extent befitting!

HIGHER EDUCATION AND MEDIA AS PURVEYOR OF IGNORANCE

A primary reason for tuning into a news channel is to be informed of significant happenings. But the content in Kenyan broadcasting stations can try one's patience. The delivery and presentation too, can be grossly abhorrent. Local TV news gets particularly revolting, if it becomes a purveyor of ignorance, in coverage of higher education matters.

Let's first take a few moments to frown upon the blatant disregard of elementary English language etiquette above, masquerading as an innocuous typo.

There are 'more serious' issues at stake here.

How the graphics below got to get on air in their sorry state, should be a big worry to the channel's media managers.

If the on screen information is to be believed:

- An Assistant Lecturer, at some undefined point in time, used to earn more than a Lecturer.

- The same Assistant Lecturer now earns a substantially lower amount in a new pay structure, as compared to the previous rate.

Now that's negative progress, but I digress.

This kind of ignorance is not bliss, it makes the heart miss a beat or two.