[kictanet] Role of the Media in Kenyan Elections

[Edith Adera]

Bwana Ndemo,

Why do you say " The problem therefore is not the government.  The problem is US (sisi)." I did not talk about government. I talked about the media.  why are you afraid?

My argument was about OVER self-regulation of the media that they seem to operate at two different EXTREME ends in two different elections. You refer to it as "Freedom...................vs.................Suppression". This time the Kenyan media struggled, really struggled, to maintain a balance between these two extreme ends.

We must maintain a balance and not "silence" people with false peace calls.

Bwana Ndemo, where do you place your current campaign to fight cyber haters - who have gone overboard (and it needs to be tamed) and to crack down on international press along the continuum you used  "Freedom...................vs.................Suppression"?

Edith



-----Original Message-----
From: bitange at jambo.co.ke [mailto:bitange at jambo.co.ke] 
Sent: March 11, 2013 7:08 PM
To: Edith Adera
Cc: bitange at jambo.co.ke; KICTAnet - Media Editors Forum; KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions
Subject: Re: [kictanet] Role of the Media in Kenyan Elections

Edith,
Answers to your questions lie in the Communications Amendment Act 2009 and the Media Act 2007.  The two legal instruments were meant to streamline the Broadcast sector in this country and enable self-regulation of Media, diversity of opinion and a pluralist broadcast regime.  Nowhere in these legislations that you find government curtailing freedom of speech.  Many people including David were opposed to the implementation of these laws. 
The subsidiary legislation supporting these laws were borrowed from The UK's communications regulator as well as from the Federal Communications Commission in the US word for word.

The problem therefore is not the government.  The problem is US (sisi). 
Like you put it for Ghana we speak not with facts but opinion.  Rumour spreads faster than anything in Africa simply because we do not have the culture of verifying things.  There is nothing wrong in promoting peace if everybody seeks to understand the balance between freedom (liberty) and supression.  In Britain for example, News of The World was closed down by the government.  Was this suppression of speech?  Every British citizens understood that the News Corp had become irresiponsible.

For sure I know the Government wants to know (and I have been asked as to what may have gone wrong) exactly what went wrong with the IEBC systems. 
The Ghanaian and Nigerian ones too had problems.  If you recall, the systems were procured at the last minute even when IEBC had expressed desire to go manual due to lengthy procurement processes.  The manufacturer hurriedly tried to meet the short deadlines.

Even in this forum we are making opinions as if they are facts.  It would help if we have some analyst give us the facts upon which we can advance our opinions.  If you watched the US elections carefully, they were more into analytics and building trajectories that helped citizens understand. 
Take for example four constituencies say, Kilome, Rarieda, Mathioya and Konoin.  Knowing the trend in these constituencies, we could have very easily built a trajectory for all neighbouring constituencies using average turnout and registered voters.  This will give you better insight to ask intelligent questions that will make great news than the way we handle such issues to the extent media would think it is propaganda.

My point is that we had far too much data to make great stories that do not point to violence or hate message.  No mews media that can dismiss a good argument and especially when it is different fresh and logical.  In essence convert data into information.


Regards


Ndemo.




> Listers,
>
> For the 2007 elections, Bwana Ndemo is on record here (KICTANET) 
> condemning the role of the media in fueling the violence.
>
> In 2013, the media played a different role. If you now reflect back - 
> deep and hard - it occurred to me that  the over-rated, over-hyped, 
> over-done "call for peace" was actually a "tool of oppression"!!
>
> Why do I say this? Many a Kenyans found themselves speechless and 
> voiceless....you were not given a chance to speak your mind, to 
> question, to freely air your opinions or liberally reflect on the 
> going ons.  You were promptly slapped with the "peace call" which 
> immediately silenced you! Why should I feel silenced by "a call for 
> peace"? Our national anthem talks of "peace and liberty", what 
> happened to "liberty" during this period?
>
> Most Kenyans locked themselves in their houses, scared stiff of the 
> unknown. Reflecting back it was truly a "silence tool".
>
> In my view, what is going on in Kenya is God's birth of a NEW KENYA. 
> It is NOT (and I repeat NOT) about THE WINNER or THE LOSERS (Do NOT 
> get me wrong
> - I don't mind about that). It is about laying a NEW FOUNDATION for 
> Kenya that is built on TRUTH (RIGHTEOUSNESS) and JUSTICE, especially 
> during this Jubilee period (50 years of our existence as a nation as 
> we enter into the next 50 years - the next Jubilee).
>
> From now on, and as our national anthem aptly states, JUSTICE will 
> truly be our SHIELD and DEFENDER.
>
> Sustainable peace (not FALSE PEACE) is built on the foundations of 
> TRUTH
> (righteousness) and JUSTICE.
>
> Reflective Edith
>
> Quote: I should like to be able to love my country and still love 
> justice (Albert Camus) _______________________________________________
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