EDITORIAL ABDICATION & REIGN OF ERRORS: THE FREE REIN EDITION

A newspaper of record should strive to uphold the highest standards. Errors are not always understandable. But admitting mistakes and publishing apologies is admirable. There's a thresh-hold, however, in the frequency of blunders, beyond which readers begin to question the credibility aspects and professional integrity. Editorial abdication often leads to a reign of errors.

For this 'reputable' Kenyan paper, there have been plenty of repugnant editorial bloopers, coming out of its production line, lately.

Even when it appears to be an effortless undertaking, like re-reading the headline and comparing it with the intro of the article below, the sub-editor elects to mix-up facts.

The headline talks of Kiir, the picture shows Machar and the Intro also makes reference to Riek Machar. So, the headline contradicts the article!

And how weird is it to see initials being used in a story, followed by a word that's supposed to be part of the initial initials.

If UoN stands for University of Nairobi, what does University of UoN mean anyway, if not total redundancy?

Even the best of columnists, are note spared the agony of this kind of editorial ignominy. Here, it appears like the difference between 'several times' and 'severally' is not so apparent.

Indeed, as a media entity celebrates 60 years of 'quality' journalism, it's not too much to expect that it's gatekeepers would be conversant with the geography of the region it operates in.

I mean, how ignorant is it to state, nay, publish for posterity, the fallacy of Tanzania being a land-locked country?

Like it has been pointed out here so, so many times, there's an elaborate newsroom and production process, to ensue there's a minimal number of errors, before a newspaper hits the news stand.

The optimal situation is to have a flawless press.

But impressive as that aspiration maybe, it's simply not achievable.

There's, however, the expectation that if all the responsible hands do a good job, then the outcome will not be bad for the brand.

Losing sight of the principle of editorial oversight can lead to very unsightly publications.

It's a pity that even petty mistakes have become pretty much normal.

One could be easily tempted to conclude that the casual manner in which these articles are proof-read, reflects the seriousness accorded to fact-checking or cross-checking of details before they are published.

It's good for a newspaper to admit it's mistakes and take corrective measures.

But if this becomes the norm rather than the exception, it wouldn't take an exceptional reader to read between the lines and see the underlying incompetence.

So, here's to more editorial abdication and reign of errors!

A REFUND POLICY FOR FAULTY NEWSPAPER CONTENT

It's common for retail outlets to have a return or refund policy, in case customers are unhappy with their purchases. Likewise, Kenyan newspaper publishers should be compelled to have a refund policy. That would probably motivate editorial gatekeepers to be keener on pushing out a flawless news product. 

If one purchases a newspaper, it is like any other investment. And if one feels it falls short of the expected quality, then getting stuck with the faulty product is really being shortchanged.

So one, I dare posit, should be allowed to return the offending newspaper, of course within a reasonable period of time, and sensible condition of the paper.

This line of thinking has been prompted by a recent purchase of a daily, from the stable of the largest media house in East and Central Africa. The paper was remarkably 'substandard' and annoyingly mediocre.

The copious serving of atrocious grammatical errors left a nausea-inducing syntactic aftertaste, despite a renowned columnist penning a timely reminder, in the same edition.

Just what exactly was the above paragraph, for example, purposed to achieve? It starts off with a quote, then meanders into an incoherent non-sensical quandary.

The lead story for this particular daily was about Mutula Kilonzo Jnr winning the Makueni senatorial by-election with a very wide margin.

So, why should the paper have another story, suggesting the outcome of the poll was yet to be determined? And is it really necessary for the same quotes to be used in different but related stories?

The same paper on more than one occasion utilised some rather unusual, if not non-existent English words. Can the editors care to explain what meaning, 'nt' below is supposed to convey?

This 'invention' of new words could astonishingly also be found in an internal advertisement, from non-other than the newspaper publishers!

Or is 'refleted' a valid English word, dear sub-editor? And while at it, how can a book that has been released, be set for another release?

It's indeed a big shame to have even spelling missteps on the 'hallowed' page dedicated to literary discourse.

And it's utterly shocking the way this 'special' paper carelessly handled a story sent in by one reader.

One line in this article appears to be terribly misplaced, and looks like it could have more naturally be at the very beginning.

Then the clincher! The article just ends mid-sentence, (or is it mid-word?)

To be fair, this newspaper did have some great readings, like, "Sam Kahiga: Artist in every genre", and the very moving, "The triumph and tragedy of Francis Kadenge". 

Also standing out was, "Is it the end, or a second life for Kenya media". This article made a direct reference to me, (yes me!)

Being stranded amid an orgy of raging violence ranks as my most terrifying moment professionally. But I digress.

The author however, left out, what I think should have been obvious details in his 'great' analysis.

There was no mention of the People, (in its initial format as a weekly paper) the Star (which folded and is not related to what is published in the current market), or even the defunct Leader, which turns the above argument on its head.

And these observations, from one particularly 'gifted' daily, in terms of its array of errors, I strongly feel, makes a strong point for Kenyan newspaper publishers to consider introducing a refund or return policy for those irked/dissatisfied after purchasing news publications.