[kictanet] Media Bill 2007 - where is the MOA Version?

Sat Jun 2 15:20:47 EAT 2007

Dear All,
There is no MOA version.  The Bill you have was drafted by MOA in
Naivasha.  The Government in consultation with all stakeholders (at Kenya
School of Monetary Studies) inserted the implementation framework after it
became clear that no one wanted to fund the Media Council.  The Government
has never had any or has no intention of controlling media through the
Minister by making any appointment to the Media Council.  However, if
Government has to fund the Council then the Minister is accountable to
Parliament.  Therefore, whoever the Minister is at the time must make the
Council accountable to him/her.  There is no problem with the Bill to
blindly dismiss it.  The problem lies with the funding mechanism not the
regulatory content which indeed provide for self regulation.

Ndemo.

> Hi all,
>
> I really would like to post a few ideas on this one.  But
> wish to have a look at what the Media is proposing i.e.
> vis-a-vis what the Govt has published (thanx Alice for
> sharing it).
>
> Waruru K.  Are you there?
> Plse email us what the Media Owners Assc.(MOA) prefers for
> comparison purposes.  Indeed criticism without specific
> counter-proposals amounts to euphoria (which
> (un?)fortunately does work in these parts of the world)
>
> Plse, could someone table the MOA perspective? Who knows we
> might discover it is all the same or the contentious issues
> could be few and possibly reviewable.
>
> walu.
>
> --- bitange at jambo.co.ke wrote:
>
>> Dear All,
>> Our media continue publish one sided stories.  In my view
>> it is important
>> that we shed some light on the Media Bill and the
>> Integrity of the
>> Industry.
>>
>> It should be obvious that integrity in media is of great
>> importance to the
>> public, to individual journalists and their institutions,
>> and to the
>> health of the media enterprise. The increasing social,
>> economic, and
>> political significance of media has led to greater
>> demands that
>> journalists and their institutions be held accountable
>> when using public
>> funds. Media subjects and their families expect
>> journalism to do what is
>> necessary to minimize the risks posed by irresponsible
>> reporting.  Society
>> rely on the honesty and competency of professionals, and
>> society's
>> confidence in and support for media rests on public trust
>> in the integrity
>> of journalists and their institutions. It is incumbent
>> upon the media
>> community to create and nurture an environment that both
>> promotes high
>> ethical standards and preserves public trust in
>> journalistic inquiry.
>>
>> Yet, all is not well in the media community. Several
>> high-profile
>> incidents, ranging from blatant disregard for the
>> principal of
>> objectivity, to the fabrication of articles, to the death
>> of breadth of
>> subjects outside politics, have raised concerns about the
>> integrity of
>> those engaged in media. During the past year, we have
>> seen too many
>> instances of media misconduct, like the front page
>> pictures of Matheri’s
>> innocent children.   Another leading daily fabricates a
>> story that an
>> opposition leader visits State house.  Who will forget
>> the Hope FM
>> incident where innocent lives were lost yet the
>> Government was blamed for
>> not taking action in advance.   Incidents such as these
>> have in most cases
>> tainted the noble profession of journalism.  The Media
>> Bill is indeed
>> Media Council Bill just like the Nursing Council Act,
>> Medical
>> Practitioner’s Act, etc.  Lawyers, Pharmacists,
>> Architects, Engineers all
>> subscribe to some Act of Parliament to guard against
>> their own excesses
>> and the consumers.
>>
>> In the past few days we have witnessed Media at its worst
>> – manipulating
>> public opinion – by only telling one side of the story in
>> the process
>> breaching their own ethical standards.    Check all
>> articles on Media
>> Bill.  They have even gone to the extent of gathering a
>> number of
>> activists and calling such meetings as stakeholder.
>> Government which is a
>> major stakeholder (supplies 90% of the news through KNA
>> to Media houses)
>> is not even invited.  Not one of those meeting that they
>> have entertained
>> the other side of the of the story.  This indeed should
>> be the very reason
>> why the Media Council must step in to advise on media’s
>> responsibilities.
>>
>> In Tanzania where the same process is going on, views are
>> analyzed from
>> both sides.  Media does not retract on their word.
>> Despite the fact media
>> developed the current Media Council Bill, they continue
>> to argue that
>> Government did not consult stakeholders.  You now
>> understand why a good
>> constitution was defeated.  Should we allow a few
>> individuals to make
>> decisions that affect our future?  There is imminent
>> danger if media is
>> not regulated simply because they have not managed to
>> regulate themselves
>> without statutes.  Do you want to see another Hope FM
>> scenario?
>> Vernacular stations are preaching Venom and if it gets
>> worse, you know who
>> the media will blame.
>>
>> Our only hope is that we are increasingly becoming a
>> knowledge society and
>> Internet with or without print and electronic media will
>> enable us to
>> communicate.  Media has refused to publish alternative
>> views on the Media
>> Bill.  Luckily they cannot mislead everbody.
>>
>>
>> Ndemo
>>
>>
>>
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>
>
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