Kenyan Media

Brief Introduction

What went wrong? Placing itself on a high pedestal of morality, the Kenyan media now finds itself being accused of hostility to the government, national impropriety, and applying double standards in the news coverage (Kabukuru, 2006). Is Kenyan media a fourth estate or fifth column?

Key Words in Journalism

In a public press, fourth estate means to embody both explicit capacity of advocacy and the implicit ability to frame the political issues. In this are, journalists are trying to be neutral side by focusing on reporting the issues and lay the final judgment on people. Meanwhile, the fifth column refers to an organization or group of people working within a country to further an invading enemy’s military and political aims. One example of fifth column is the yellow journalism that downplays the legitimate news in favor of eye-catching headlines that make an advantage in the organization to sell more papers. The words that are written in the paper are the exaggerations of news events, sensationalism, and sometimes distortion of thoughts.

Kenyan Media

The coverage of the Kenyan media on a devastating political crisis and election violence in the country, gave the pressure on freedom of expression and independence. The media failed to perform their expected duty and include themselves in an action for self-censorship (Article 19, 2008).

The media in Kenya is believed as being hostile to the government which is very disturbing as compared to the past successful years. This indicates that there is a possibility that the media may not have sufficient public support to resist violation. As described from the past interviews, Kenyan media is its own worst enemy. They may not use guns but is very intense and sustained propaganda and most venomous cartoons akin. And Kenya is the only country where the media censors the government instead of the government censoring the press because of the accusation on biases (Kabukuru, 2006).

All of the revolving issues and criticism of Kenyan media happened in taking the both sides of the election. The media’s “free press ideals” is different to compare in the Western Culture. But eventually, the local media witnessed the West’s yellow journalism is threatening to destroy all the gains the Kenyan media made since independence (Kabukuru, 2008). The statement “Kenya media made its own enemy” was supported from the attempt of the Kenyan press to cultivate their role in the society.

So thus, they borrowed heavily ideas from the Western media and being influenced on the wars of the Western press. The Kenyan media found itself in the middle of the sensational journalism of the Western media and the hard facts of the traditional Kenyan media. Expectedly, they chose the sensationalism and implemented the yellow journalism. But on the perspective of the critics, the Kenyan media became even weak and different onto what they assume (Article 19, 2007; Kabukuru, 2008). Seeing the yellow journalism’s destruction of trust and loyalty, the Kenyan media placed an initiative to agreed in peace and let the Western media influence disappear. This decision is based on the call of their true role and realizing that their innovation to revive the Kenyan media impact on the society is not a successful discovery because there are ugly faces that the foreign media provided (Kabukuru, 2008).

Analysis and Suggestions

When a media is owned by the political opponents in the government, it only means that what they say is not always the truth. It is for the reason that political opponents will always use the media to challenge their opponents in the current government. The Kenyan media lacks of independence, however, the media are sensitive to protect their right to criticize others but develop an extremely thin skin and understanding (Kabukuru, 2006).

The Kenyan media should continue to review its successes and failures in the post-election crisis in a spirit of cooperation. It should set up a fund to help train journalists in investigative reporting and self-protection in places where there is violence and fighting. Kenyan media should offer the public maximum information and insight into the crisis the media has been through since the election. It should also strengthen its system of self-regulation and consulting together (Article 19, 2008).

Conclusion

The Kenyan media’s good start in the covering the events and being unbiased in their presentation is a good foundation about the standards in reporting. Every country has a unique approach in detailing the news in the public eye. Kenyan media and the other media personnel around the world should tick on to the basic format of reporting to render the truth and avoid the war in their industry.

References:

Article 19., 2008. How Far To Go? Kenya’s Media Caught in the Turmoil of a Failed Election. Global Campaign for Free Expression. [Online] Available at: http://www.article19.org/pdfs/publications/kenya-how-far-to-go.pdf. [Accessed 14 Jan 2010].

Kabukuru, W., 2006. Is the Kenyan Media Made Its Own Worst Enemy? “Kenya Is the Only Country Where the Media Censors the Government Instead of the Government Censoring the Media", Says Koigi Wa Wamwere Kenya's Assistant Information Minister and a Veteran Journalist Himself. Wamwere Insists That "The Kenyan Media Is Its Own Worst Enemy", but Others Beg to Differ. Wanjohi Kabukuru Reports from Nairobi. New African, No. 452, June 2006.

Kabukuru, W., 2008. Kenya Spare Us the Agony and Bias: Kenya’s Post Election Troubles Have Taught the People Why Their Media Should Not Imitate the "Yellow Journalism" of the West, Reports. New African, No. 474, June 2008.