TV GRAPHICS: TO ERR AND TO AMEND ERRORS IS HUMAN

To err is human. But so is to amend errors. This is what minders of on air TV graphics should constantly be reminded. And this courtesy should be extended to other personnel involved in the production of a news broadcast. Sometimes the mistake is so glaring, yet the editorial crew is just staring at a visual aid cue.

In the sport story above, the fixtures for that particular weekend's club football in Kenya, are straight-forward and easy to follow.

But the lower third tag blatantly renames one of the teams involved.

In the newsroom, the habit of doing a spell-check for all scripts is greatly encouraged.

Ironically though, such a highly desirable standard operating procedure could perhaps have yielded the graphical blunder.

It's strange though, that Mathare Utd could transform into Mother United, but Vihiga Utd cannot become Vicar United!

MISLED PRESIDENT, MISLEADING VIEWERS AND AN AWKWARD APOLOGY

It's normal for TV news mistakes to happen and find their way to a viewer. But it is far from normal to make it look like its near-impossible to make corrections. It makes a mockery of journalism for a media outlet to have a story about the president possibly being misled, while at the same time misleading the viewers.

The mix-up above is therefore downright perplexing

Some news sources or analysts, it is expected, should be a little familiar in newsrooms, and news circles at large.

The bigger tragedy though, is the apparent helplessness of the news editor/producer/director and allied TV gallery personnel.

The moment the error was spotted, something ought to have been done, instead of letting the same mistake go on air repeatedly

The CG team could have switched the name tags while the story was being aired, or keyed in new but correct identities of the speakers.

And if the names were embedded in the video clip, then the story could have been faded out, and an apology issued, with a promise to re-air the cleaned-up version.

But no...the minders of this particular news broadcast...opted to have the story run it's dirty course

Then it was left for the news presenter to offer possibly one of the most awkward apology, since the invention of the Daguerreotype camera.

It was something like: ...'The advocate is actually the economist and the economist in that story was the advocate...'

I don't advocate for name-calling, please be economical with your insults!

FROM BLANK CHEQUE ASPIRATION TO BLANK SCREEN PERSPIRATION

In the seemingly over-supply of TV channels in Kenya, a broadcast outlet has to go many extra miles to attract and retain viewership, and possibly make some profit while at it. Branding is an essential element in this strategy, after taking care of basic elements like great content. Expecting the audience to identify a channel from a blank screen is not the way to a blank cheque.

A news broadcast is a key pillar in drawing in viewers to a station, despite the fact that practically all the competing channels offer almost identical news coverage.

But this means a station has to put more effort in fending off the competition, which can as well start from the look and feel of the initial on air news ident board.

In years gone by, corporate entities used to pay a tidy sum to have their logos or products displayed alongside the countdown clock for the news, because this was one of the 'primest' of broadcast prime time.

Sadly, advertisers appear to have realised not so many people nowadays tune-in for prime time TV news in Kenya.

And this could perhaps explains the drab, dull, dreary and depressing news board idents, like the one highlighted above.

If you can't promote external products before the news for a fee, why not promote your own content for free?

Oh...wait....what content?

TV NEWS AND LOWERING THE QUALITY OF LOWER THIRDS

Delivery of information is critical in media operations. If important details are not passed across in a clear manner, then the entire point of communication is undermined. It doesn't make much sense to spend so much time and resources in news gathering and processing, then do a shoddy presentation. Such has led to the lowering of the quality of TV news lower thirds.

Why should a viewer struggle so much to read what is being splashed across the TV screen, as part of the editorial content of a news story?

The lower third story tags are supposed to provide additional context to a story, or even enable one to immediately get the gist of a news item, from the choice of key words on display.

Moreover, a viewer could be in a place where the TV is on but the volume is turned down, and so the on screen text acts as valuable conduit of pertinent details about a news story, in summary form.

The challenge for news producers is extracting critical information from a story, and deploying the resulting text in a limited space.

In some news production systems, the software automatically leaves out any excess characters and you either end up with an incomplete set of information, with the missing text making it difficult to understand, or an unintelligible mash up of pseudo-characters.

Other systems accommodate the extra characters but also in the process, reduce the font size.

This is great, but only to the point of not making viewers squint, as they try to navigate through the now miniaturised body of text, battling for a breathing space.

That is not a favourable bottom line!

CASE FOR EQUATING EDITORIAL ERRORS TO FAKE NEWS

The standards of Kenyan media outlets may really try one's patience. For many are the editorial bloopers and blunders that regularly pass through the hands of clueless gatekeepers. At this rate, fake news should no longer just be about inaccuracies and misrepresentation of facts. Throw in errors that look too wanton not to be deliberate.

In the news briefs article, presumably taken from an established foreign media entity, an inexplicable decision or indecision by the sub-editor causes an almost unbelievable and truly unfathomable piece of information to be published in a national paper.

A typo does not even stand a chance in explaining why the article begins with words:

'Ethiopia's Egypt's President...'

What in the name of how, why, who and the remaining Ws!

Then there's this other one highlighted above.

And here's a good case for not championing the Newspaper for Schools cause.

No teacher of English would want the risk of learners entrenching...um...'Am', in their compositions and essays.

Moreover, there are times the typo is so unsightly...that one might even be persuaded that the factual error is the lesser evil.

Herein lies a good foundation for equating editorial errors to fake news.

And therein the truth should be awakened!

CRIME, FOOTBALLERS AND ENTERPRISE REPORTING

In a rare departure from the beaten path, a sports journalist delivered story of footballers, who had a promising career, only to end up behind bars. Getting access to film in Kenyan prisons is not easy. And convincing the sportsmen to open up on camera about their doubling in crime is quite an achievement. The result is a powerful depiction of the impact of enterprise reporting.

In this era of converged newsrooms, it was quite refreshing to see one journalist masterfully piece together a fantastic tale on both print and broadcast platforms.

The local media outlets are known to mostly dwell on diary stories that are almost predictably going to be about negative developments, personality-based politics, press conferences, and the occasional breaking news that again is likely to yield uninspiring coverage.

So, when a gem of enterprise reporting hits your screen and newspaper, the impact is unmistakable.

The meticulous planning that was involved is very evident and the multiplicity of voices within the prison and in the outside world all build up to an inspiring story about the futility of crime.

The convicts now hopefully have a better conviction about life.

LAZY JOURNALISM, ENTERPRISE REPORTING AND AN EMPTY DAM

It's the middle of the wettest season in Kenya. Then comes a very curious coverage highlighting the strange fact that the dam that supplies the capital, Nairobi, is close to being empty. Lazy journalism gets satisfied with the official explanation. Enterprise reporting digs deeper to unearth facts that either independently affirm or discredit a story.

Instead of local media just dwelling on this 'supposed' oddity, seeking more evidence to explain this hard to believe reality would have been more impactful.

Weather reports from the meteorological department have of late been remarkably accurate.

So, their records would easily help ascertain the veracity of claims that there has not been sufficient rainfall around the Aberdare Mountain Ranges, which is the catchment area for the Ndakaini dam.

Instead, the authority being relied on here is an official of a water company that supplies water to Nairobi.

Moreover, the media could also go beyond the confines of the press junket and visit the areas lying further upstream, and if necessary, go up the Aberdares, to establish if indeed rainfall is that scarce.

There was a time I wanted viewers to understand the concept of a 'water tower' and had the privilege of going up the Aberdares, on the Nyeri side.

My observation was that the rainfall up the mountain is almost self-generated, thanks to the massive transpiration from the forest, which somehow makes it look like clouds are rising from the trees below.

In essence then, the rainfall up this mountain could be more dependent on the tree cover, than whether or not there's drought or it's the rainy season, which could also explains why there are so many permanent rivers emanating from the Aberdares.

Another time,  when I was assigned to do a TV news story about the low water levels at Kenya's main hydro-electricity generating dam, I ventured further upstream.

I did establish that the rivers in the region were at that time drying up, probably due to global warming, but something else also became quite evident.

There was water abstraction on a grand scale from the rivers leading to Masinga dam, by mostly farmers upstream, and also through numerous water supply channels to the surrounding communities.

If the local media can afford to deploy reporters to far- flung countries such as Australia, it wouldn't be that impossible to widen the scope of their coverage within Kenya's borders.

And please remember that lazy journalism ends where enterprise reporting begins!

PUBLIC'S WATCHDOG, FEROCIOUS ATTACK DOG AND A TIMID LAP DOG

It is becoming difficult to get a clear understanding of important issues in Kenya, based on media coverage. The public's watchdog turns into a ferocious attack dog, only to end up looking like a lap dog. The audience get's confused in the process, especially when information is packaged haphazardly.

I very much want to believe the editor of the above article is aware the message being sent out is that it's DESIRABLE to have:

"...an accounting system which is vulnerable to manipulation."

Or alternatively, the said ministry is being EXONERATED from any financial mischief because it:

"...lacks the capacity to run an accounting system which is vulnerable to manipulation."

Is there still a place for dependable media accuracy, which begets factual coverage that responsibly pushes credible information to the citizenry?

A big story suddenly starts sucking in those adversely mentioned.

The media outlet that unearthed the supposed scandal is also hard pressed for alleged non-disclosure of self-incriminating facts.

And evidently, this has not escaped the scrutiny of the public, as depicted below.

GRIEVING FAMILY, PRIVACY INTRUSION AND AN INSENSITIVE MEDIA

A distraught family is mourning the loss of a loved one, after a terror attack in northeastern Kenya. A crew from a local media house is filming and asking questions about the victim. A composed family friend shares the information requested. But the mother of the victim can still be heard wailing. An insensitive media yet again puts a news story above the privacy needs of a grieving family.

What informs the urgency to cover such stories, and why can't the affected families be spared the media glare, so soon after learning about the death of one of their own?

It is utterly cruel for the journalists to not even have the courtesy to stop rolling their camera, until the victim's mother is emotionally stable.

Moreover, any kind of discussion about the victim in her earshot, is bound to augment the trauma being experienced by the grieving mother.

Couldn't the interview be conducted away from the distressed mother?

In any case, it is highly probable that whatever the family friend is saying to the reporter, does not register much with a viewer, because it is just not human to ignore the sounds of a weeping mother.

For me, it's as if the reporter here was trying to downplay the pain of the victim's mother, in trying to get details about the final moments of the victim.

Just as Joe Hight so accurately observes in the Colorado Springs Gazette:

"Most victims or victims' relatives face a wall of grief in the aftermath of a death or disaster....They don't see into the past or future; they see the present and feel the pain of the moment"

Fellow scribes, follow this principle and desist from blatantly violating the grieving space.

FROM AN EDITORIAL NONSENSE TO AN ON SCREEN NIGHTMARE

Long sentences in broadcast news can make the audience discern a script being read. The preferred perception is to make the stories sound more conversational, and short sentences are a big help here. Windy sentences can also yield editorial nonsense, where language mastery is a concern. If the nonsense is displayed on screen, the result is an editorial nightmare.

Trying to load as much information as possible in a single sentence might appear smart, but it requires an acceptable level of alertness.

To begin with, the strap depicted above is way too busy, for a viewer to comfortably read, never mind the elements of repetition.

And since the medium is TV,  the viewer is also listening to the voice of the anchor/reporter, while engaging the eyes to process the video element.

The required coordination of sensory organs is greatly jeopardised by the eyesore of a top line, in the lower third story tag, which sates:

"Court denies man charged with chopping wife's hands denied bail"

Oh dear! It almost appears as if the words were being randomly strung together, hoping the resultant sentence would communicate the desired meaning.

But evidently, even with editorial licence, news packaging is a precise undertaking not best left to chance.

MINING MINORS AND MINORING IN THE MAJOR

The increase in the number of long-form news features in Kenyan broadcasting stations is great. The in-depth look at issues afflicting the society, affords the country an opportunity to reflect on the presented challenges and contemplate appropriate solutions. A recent feature on child labour put the focus on mining minors but almost ended up minoring in the major.

The scope of people interviewed was impressively wide, which brilliantly captured the conflicting interests at play, and how these ended up disadvantaging young children in that community.

However, the choice of what speakers say in the final story, raised more questions for the audience to try and figure out, in what emerged as a vicious cycle of poverty sabotaging efforts to vanquish poverty.

One of the 'poverty stricken' parents (hopefully not a minor), talks of the poor market prices of the product of his menial work. He is determined though, because he has to provide for his children...all 12 of them!

The other parent confidently justifies pulling children out of a public school, and enrolling them in a private learning facility.

But she just can't afford the switch and so it's back to the mining pit, in the interim, because there's no point prioritising education, over putting food on the table.

This parent also argues that the main problem with government-funded schools is that teachers seldom show up in class, thus compromising the learning process.

But what do school administrators say? There are fewer and fewer children to teach!

The issue of affordable education in the context of free primary education is somehow a major factor too. And the reason why many children are out of school is 'exorbitant' additional levies.

There's no mention of the possible impact of state-funded bursaries for needy children.

Local education officials, meanwhile, don't want to enforce laws that require parents to take their children to school, opting to instead 'sensitise' them first!

I could go on some more, but suffice it to say,  this feature raised pertinent issues about mining minors, but its delivery bordered on minoring in the major aspects.

Curiously, another rival station did a similar feature on child labour, three years ago, but in a different part of Kenya.

Some more creativity in crafting the title of the feature, could have been a useful 'minor' addition.

NEWSROOMS DECIDE: NO MORE RECYCLING OF RETIRED WORDS

Kenyan newsrooms have a knack of recycling already tired phrases. It's almost as if there's already a default set of words for specific situations. Coverage of the death of a prominent person will most certainly include a 'fare thee well' reference. And in times of elections, it can almost be guaranteed that some people or a country will be deciding.

This predictable descriptions can really put someone off, especially because they go counter to the expectations of a vibrant and inventive media.

Is it that newsroom pressures predisposes journalist and editors to like short-cuts, making them easily raid their 'limited' vocabulary granary, at the slightest provocation?

Or are there certain pre-determined words that must be deployed during specific situations, to the exclusion of many other possibilities, even in international news channels?

Language is meant to be dynamic and communicators should likewise strive to enrich their variety of expressions.

There should be some limits though, when it comes to creatively engaging the audience.

Care should be taken before some editorial decisions are 'decided'!!

MEDIA FLIPS, EPISODIC NEWS AND VIPs PROTECTION

One can easily think the local media has a split, nay, multiple personalities disorder. A particular issue can be positively thrust into the limelight, only for the same issue to be castigated in subsequent days. A big chunk of what is reported as news appears to be episodic. On the issue of VIPs protection, the media flips are not helping the audience to contextualize the factors at play.

So, a governor insists his state-provided security has been withdrawn, while the central government alludes to the need to cut down on security officers seconded to high ranking public officials.

The media's attention is unfortunately scattered in different directions, and even political angles come into focus, with claims made of punitive action by the state to frustrate the governor.

There is even suggestions that the security agents of this particular governor could have engaged in dishonourable conduct, during a recent by-election.

Perhaps, this can pass, in the spirit of fortifying a news story with a multiplicity of angles, and voices from diverse sources, (then hopefully expect the public to make an informed conclusion, from the confusion).

But what is telling and not being told, is that just a few days earlier, there had been genuine concerns raised about VIPs getting allocated many security officers, at the expense of the collective safety of the masses.

The press highlighted this potentially dangerous trend,

But when the government supposedly moves to rectify the situation, the media's 'sympathy' suddenly shifts to one individual, (who by any modest estimate, can afford superior private security).

I don't get it. Someone please explain, but not immediately. I'm still dizzy from the media flips and episodic news reportage.

WILD TV, STALE SPECTACLE, HOOKED AND HOODWINKED VIEWERS

One of Kenya's national broadcasters has partnered with tourism industry players, to promote the country's wild and natural beauty on TV. Showcasing the stunning scenery on prime time, can inspire the audience to appreciate it, and also market the destinations. But in the first episode, the spectacle was stale by a margin of...15 years! Viewers were hooked but also hoodwinked.

I pity the poor soul, who resolved to tour the highlighted attraction, in the hope of catching a glimpse of the wild animals shown on that TV programme, doing amazing things underwater.

You know, a lot can happen in 15 years... in the hippo calendar.

Hold on. Even for a human being, a lot can happen within one and a half decades.

15 years ago, where were you? I think I was still in Journalism school, harbouring lofty ideas about rescuing the local media scene from the jaws of irrelevancy. But I digress.

Back to the hyped hippie hippos, the camerawork in the documentary was indeed breathtaking, in the league of the legendary stuff from the National Geographic channels.

And I'm sure, as I have earlier hinted, a number of viewers secretly or loudly made a mental note to visit the magnificent Mzima Springs, to experience the natural wonders first-hand.

I did too, until my bubble burst wide open, as I keenly followed the credit roll, at the end of the TV show. One thing stood out:

Copyright MMI.

What! Were viewers being treated to a trip down hippo memory lane?

So, what are the chances of finding the showcased ecosystem intact, 15 years after the shooting of the documentary?

I felt cheated, conned, duped by an unabashed television fraud.

And to think how much energy was used to promote the programme, by both the station's staffers and external stakeholders.

The TV station could have considered dispatching a crew to Mzima Springs, and have links recorded from there, or even delivered live during the show, to make magical Kenya look more realistic than fictional.

That would have been more meaningful and impactful, unlike the social media hashtag frenzy, or the lazy amalgamated real-time online commentaries, while the show was on air, feigning self-adoration and spewing misguided adulation.

I know for a fact that the same broadcasting station has previously done at least one feature on Mzima Springs, not that long ago, and there was nothing that came close to what was screened.

Does that explained the felt need to grab something from international archives and regurgitate it locally, to better bait the viewers (and also the station's apparently mesmerised employees?)

Well, the wild intention is in the right place, but it should deliver interested viewers into a reachable wilderness, one that can still be savoured and treasured.

STILLBIRTH SUCCESS: A TV STATION'S PIGGYBACK RIDE ON TWITTER

One million followers. The most engaged media brand on Twitter in the East African region. This particular feat had to be sounded off from the mountain top. But a little historical context of how it all began could offer intriguing insights. And such a success should be measured in terms of your own online real estate, not your brand piggyback riding on another popular platform. 

Fact is, five years ago, Twitter was a very neglected social media platform in this particular channel.

Actually, my main point when called upon to address the big editorial meetings, was the need for the newsroom staff to open Twitter accounts and especially how this would be useful in breaking news scenarios.

Okay. A disclaimer first. I was the pioneer Online Editor of the channel in question, (a disastrous one perhaps?). 

Now that we have that out of the way, I would like to disassociate myself with any impression that I'm writing this out of bitterness, (the bile is just for emphasis).

Very strangely, there was resistance to officially use Twitter on air, from very high places.

I vividly recall the day I was on reporting duties, and I asked the video editor to put my Twitter handle, alongside my name, as he rendered my piece to camera.

In my excitement, I told the boss to watch my story on air, with the hope of being among the first TV journalist in Kenya to have a Twitter handle on air, and eventually turning this into a common practise in the newsroom.

But that was not to be. My then overall boss, in a rare panic mode, ordered me to remove my Twitter handle on the story (hardly five minutes prior to it going on air).

So I always marvel at the way Kenyan broadcasting stations and even mainstream print outlets, nowadays freely display Twitter handles of their institutions and even individual journalists. And there's plenty of hashtag this or that.

Why was this a difficult thing to do five years ago, and yet internationally, this had been an approved trend, even much earlier? Or it's just the usual fear of change? (Or was the problem me taking the credit?).

So now the same TV station feels very proud to have registered a supposed highest number of Twitter followers regionally.

This could as well be a fallacy, because all the accounts in this mega count are not verified. A single follower could be operating several Twitter accounts, using different handles.

But what I find most unusual, is the objective given to the channel's digital team, to get people away from their Internet-enabled mobile phones and directing their attention to the content airing on TV.

I'm of the opinion that the reverse should be the sequence of events: get those watching TV to go online for more related content or latest updates, especially given that most stories airing on local TV have already done the rounds on the Internet.

This mentality, partly explains why many Kenyan media outlets have found it hard to maintain truly dynamic websites, laden with compelling content to sustain the interest of their online communities.

In any case, isn't it a bit foolhardy for a media outlet to boast about how well its brand is doing on another external platform?

It's similar to boasting how one's rented house is magnificent, while at the same time identifying who the landlord is.

Again, your brand's worth as a media outlet on the Internet, should be measured from the performance of your very own online real estate!

23/12/2015
Postscript:

It seems the futility and vanity of mainstream media riding on their external social media presence is still not apparent to everyone.

Behold! Wading through the social media wilderness can lead to the promised land of likes and followers.

But a day will come when it becomes apparent that the online audiences of these local mainstream media have been willingly delivered to global competitors.

CUE DOUBLE DOSE OF SAME INFORMATION, CUE AUDIENCE DOZE OFF

The Kenyan president makes an address to the nation, broadcast live in all major channels, during which changes in his administration are announced. The event ends less than half an hour to prime time news bulletins. Then, newscasts lead with a lengthy recap of the presidential briefing. This double dose of identical information is a cue for the audience to doze off.

Is the news significant? Oh yes, very important. Must it be re-aired in its original format and the content of the presidential address regurgitated on an ' as is where is' basis, so soon after the live broadcast?

Yes...in the land of dead journalistic analysis and media allergies to interpretative value addition on information being conveyed.

But that's not to say you lose focus on the fact that TV is a visual medium.

So having a news presenter on a prolonged solo talking spree makes it hard to distinguish between facts and personal opinion.

It is hard to imagine that within one hour, local channels weren't able to line up analysts or experts to interrogate the Cabinet reshuffle, despite big hints that major changes were in the offing.

And if all fails, even in-house 'editorial authorities' can be roped in to broaden the discussion, as opposed to the tiring studio monologues.

It's important for a news story to be taken forward. And the media can be proactive in seeking to raise and find answers to the 'so what' question.

That 'lazy' newsroom pattern of waiting for reactions a day after, ought to be discarded.

That's why it was so refreshing to see one of the channels airing a Cabinet Secretary nominee's initial thoughts, shortly afterwards.

Those visuals came from Europe...

...And you want the audience to think it's impossible to get a relevant comment from the neighbourhood?