[kictanet] [ke-internetusers] Kenya communications (amendment) Bill: Is media overacting?

[Wainaina Mungai]

The truth is that the "supporters" you see on TV, hear on radio, read
in papers are not by accident. The Media Owners Association (MoA)
crafted a campaign strategy that includes the "media blackout to all
MPs who supported the Bill and The Ministry of Information &
Communications".

According to persons privy to the media campaign strategy, we have a
big problem here and it's about time Kenyans were told the objective
truth. Unfortunately, the people who own the media houses are
determined to use every possible means to ensure the Bill is not
signed. You will not hear a supporter of the Bill being given
coverage.

Why?

The strategy is clearly not intended to yield an objective result. The
intention is to shape public opinion even through biased reporting.
The strategy includes:

1. Ensure President dioesn't sign the Bill, by publicly petitioning him.
2. Take advantage of Jamhuri Day to show images of raids conducted by
previous regimes.
3. Run a media campaign that includes 'same headline' in all papers
and similar headlines on electronic media.
4. Shape public opinion through campains and show that the Bill is
unconstitutional...etc etc
5. Blackout all supporters of the Bill, Ministry & only invite civil
society players who support the interests of the media. Keep watching
and you'll notice the biased reporting.
6. The coverage of the issue in the weekend papers (circulation) is
also part of the strategy. This will not stop until the President
yields to the Media's agenda.

The media has the right to petition the President but the problem with
their campaign is that Media Owners have actually agreed not to cover
the issue objectively. They have conspired to shape public opinion by
all possible means including excluding all those who have a different
opinion.

In doing so, they demonstrate the need for legislative regulation. The
nation is now at the mercy of the media and the public will only be
fed with one side of the story.

Over to you.
Wainaina


On 12/14/08, Kinuthia Muchane <muchanek at gmail.com> wrote:
> Habari,
> Maybe the media is overacting, maybe the the MPs are wrong... But one
> interesting thing about this issue is the timidity of the MPs, to begin
> with, in the news all I am hearing are our dear elected representatives
> vowing their undying support for all sorts of freedom, including that of
> Press, so my question is, isn't there one, single MP who supported
> passing of the Bill who can come out in defence of his or her stand? Or
> is it because they always pander to the Press, they do not want to be
> seen in 'bad' light .
>
> On the other hand, most of us take what we hear on the radio or watch on
> TV as gospel truth, and the unfortunate fact of life is that the
> majority of us have no other source of  information, or do not seek other
> avenues of
> getting information, a fact very well
> known by members of the so called "Fourth Estate". So when they drench
> us with "details" about the dangers of the bill's amendment no matter how
> skewed their
> opinion is, we will believe them hook, line and sinker!
> If you ask me, in a country like ours with a very shaky social,
> political and economic foundation, these merchants of
> "information" should be very closely and regularly monitored, a Radio
> Mille Collines can happen here very easily...
> In any case, ain't all these media 'houses' just commercial enterprises
> out to make a tidy profit?
>
> Kinuthia...
>
>
>
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