[kictanet] Are we a media state?

Fri Feb 22 12:43:52 EAT 2008

Alex,

You have made my day. Really! At least there are still people like you who
say things that everybody else is either afraid to, hopelessly biased or
just plain ambivalent on where they stand.

Very true the media cannot be a power unto itself. Just like the media calls
to acount other sectors of society, it must itself be open and even welcome
forensic audit of its work.

Needless to say, the results of media irresponsibility are evident across
the world. And again, only the guilty need to be afraid. If somebody
insisted you have committed an offence and threatens to go to court,
wouldn't your innocence ultimately be your shield and defender?

Common people! Let's be true to ourselves as a country. We cannot take the
Government for granted, which is what we have been trying hard to do - akin
to having our cake and eating it at the same time. Who else holds the
instruments of law and order in society?

We see what is happening today even in superpowers like the US of A after
their so called freedoms cost them lives through terrorism both at home and
abroad.

The problem in Kenya is that we swallow Western ideology hook, line and
sinker without giving a thought to the basis and future of our society.

Have a great weekend.

Ndegwa

On 21/02/2008, Alex Gakuru <alex.gakuru at yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> Let's face it, we are all afraid of the media
> projecting us badly. As the saying goes the media
> "makes or kills". That is tremendous power either ways
> depending on how it is used. Their pen can kill or
> make things happen.
>
> But "the media" is not a homogeneous thing. Like every
> other sector of society it has good people,
> questionable people and crooks as well.
>
> When I proposed that respective media houses conduct
> own audits, the media council another, and the
> government to  do the final task force, it was on the
> premise that we all accepted that "the media" played a
> very big role in the events that led to the sorry of
> Kenya. We were looking at fixing the problem so that
> it never again happens in Kenya. I still stand by my
> statement.
>
> It is saddening to read that the media council has
> gone ahead to form not an audit but "a task force".
> And that  they point to towards claiming that the
> government does not have the mandate to form a task
> force. In self-support, sections of the same media
> float suspicions "what is the ministry up to?" then
> reporting "media control is a tool traditionally used
> by oppressive governments" and editorials...
>
> If even MPs in clash-torn areas turn to and ask
> government for protection in their own areas, is it
> right for the media not to recognise that "for-common
> good" government always must always be recognised
> as the supreme authority on the the state? Is the
> media exempt from all forms of external audit?
>
> If this is the case, then we may as well come to terms
> that we moved to a "media state", just like exists
> "police states", dictators etc etc and in that
> scenario the media controls even all its critisms and
> would not be any different from past  "news" critical
> e.g. to police etc for conducting internal closed
> investigations. Trust in their honesty delivery of
> news to consumers becomes questionable and one is left
> never to trust all news.
>
> Consumers need a media they can trust their
> information. A media open governance scrutiny the
> always help us hold government open and accountable.
>
> The government look after all of us, including the
> media and I recognize government as the final power
> over society's welfare.
>
>
> If we fail to collectively correct recent mistakes
> then "media resources" might also well be included in
> the ongoing peace talks because daily information
> consumers  mind and opinion control is the most
> powerful national asset.
>
> Regards,
>
> Alex Gakuru
>
>
>
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-- 
Stephen Ndegwa Mwangi
Executive Director
MediaSpeak Africa
P. O. Box 18154-00100
Nairobi GPO
Tel.: +254-20-2712309
Cell: +254-724-376 883
Kenya.
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