[kictanet] Kenya: The Media is Not Innocent

[Dorcas Muthoni]

On Feb 12, 2008 12:48 PM, Kanja Waruru <kanjawaruru at yahoo.com> wrote:

>
> The media did not operate in isolation during and
> after the elections. And before we point fingers at
> the media and blame it for everything under the sun,
> perhaps we should first try to understand who the real
> players were in the elections and the general genesis
> of the crises.


While all Kenyans must reflect on what we could have done differently in the
face of our current crisis, i would not hesitate to say that the media for a
significant period of time, right from even before the referendum has not
helped in many instances.

Considering that media helps us to receive information and news coming from
events where we are not present, honestly, media ought to play more
non-partisan and objective roles.

Its hard to ignore all the rumors of how certain media practitioners had
been promised attractive appointments considering how news agendas were and
continue to be set.

During the elections the media was exercising the self
> regulation rule and a lot of the stories that were
> filed during this period were censored because they
> were hate speeches and issues not fit for printing but
> we thought it would all die out after the elections
> and things would also get back to normal.


I think one thing that the media must learn, is to accept correction. They
have fought it in many cases using such terms as self-regulation...

Remember once information has gone out through mass media, you cannot recall
it and the best you can do is to publish an apology on small hidden column.

The worst happens when the same information causes its recipients to act in
ways that no one had envisaged.
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