--- Wainaina Mungai <
wainaina@madeinkenya.org> wrote:
> Allow me to re-deflect the issue away from a
> specific media house and state
> the following as a way forward:
>
> 1. Journalists must work with all Kenyans to make
> the press free from undue
> influence from Media Owners. Press Freedom will not
> be achieved until we
> liberate the journalists from the editorial biases
> of the media owners.
>
> 2. Editors must be held responsible when media
> houses publish/broadcast in
> an unethical manner. For this to hold, we must
> ensure that the media owners
> are not the 'final' editors.
>
> 3. Journalists/reporters have developed a culture of
> accepting inducements
> in order to edit stories as requested. This must be
> treated as a crime due
> to the privileges society accords the press.
>
> 4. Media houses must employ and retrain qualified
> and ethical staff. There
> must be standards that ensure professionalism.
> Engineers, Doctors and others
> submit to standards that the media continues to
> dodge.
>
> 5. Kenya needs a Media Council "with teeth"...that
> will be a watchdog that
> acts in the interest of the public not as a
> affiliate lobby for Media
> Owners.
>
> The verdict should be a clear message to all of us
> in the media circles.
> It's time to look inwards and liberate the
> profession of journalism from the
> businessmen who own the media houses.
>
> Wainaina
>
>
>
>
> On 2/13/08, Wainaina Mungai
> <
wainaina.mungai@gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> > Thanks Farida,
> >
> > We should not consider the presence of lessos in
> ballot boxes in Kajiado
> > or Kamukunji as evidence that your story was true.
> The pre-marking or
> > ballots and the lesso story are what would be
> considered mutually exclusive
> > events. The use of lessos as indicator of accuracy
> is at the very least
> > speculative. The fact that [it is possible] for an
> election to be stolen
> > does not mean that and election [will be] stolen.
> >
> > For KTN/Standard, the more direct issues as you
> vouch for the integrity of
> > your story would be:
> >
> > 1. Did you have [evidence] that the ballot boxes
> were stuffed with
> > pre-marked ballot papers? or were you speculating
> because someone came
> > forward as a "witness"?
> >
> >
> > 2. Do you believe that the killings of the
> Administration Police in Nyanza
> > were a direct result of the story you authorised?
> If so, what have you done
> > to at least console the families of the bereaved
> policemen?
> >
> >
> > 3. Did you have evidence that the Citi Hoppa buses
> that were carrying APs
> > to various parts of the country were meant to be
> used for a rigging mission?
> > and would you consider that your story was
> responsible for the burning of
> > Citi Hoppa buses?
> >
> >
> > Most voters know that ballot boxes are checked
> before the start of voting
> > and sealed infront of witnesses (agents, ECK
> officials etc). It is
> > therefore unlikely that rigging would only take
> place is unless there is an
> > elaborate conspiracy involving [all]
> officials/agents at a polling station.
> >
> > Overall, the "vibes" KTN/Standard fraternity must
> contend with is not that
> > they are a model of "free press" but that it is
> biased against the
> > government or pro-ODM. The vibes stations such as
> Royal Media, Kameme and
> > KBC contend with is that they have given Kenyans
> reason to be seen as
> > pro-government/PNU. Those are the issues the press
> must address honestly and
> > not hide behind tags and clichés such as 'press
> freedom' and 'muzzling the
> > press'.
> >
> > NOTE: I work for a competing media house but that
> is not my motivation for
> > the issues i have raised on KTN/Standard. I
> respect journalists for the
> > effort that goes into writing even the simplest
> story. However, I am aware
> > that media houses and journalists have continued
> to allow their political
> > and other biases to influence the way they report
> stories.
> >
> > Wainaina
> >
> > On Feb 14, 2008 12:09 AM, Farida Karoney
> <
fkaroney@ktnkenya.com> wrote:
> >
> > > Wainaina
> > > I personally authorised the story you are
> blaming KTN for and can vouch
> > > for the integrity of that report any time. If
> indeed you believe it is not
> > > possible to steal an election, how come that
> ballot boxes were found with
> > > lessos, and election materials in some polling
> stations?
> > >
> > > We cannot resolve explosive issues by hiding or
> supressing the truth,
> > > and no one is trying to exonerate the press. Let
> us not pretend that we do
> > > not know why we are where we are, it is
> definately not because of KTN or the
> > > Standard Group.
> > >
> > > And it is certainly not an academic excercise,
> afterall most of us do
> > > not have another place to call home except
> Kenya. Believe me, any Country
> > > which calls itself democratic must be able to
> live with a free press, no
> > > matter how much of a nuisance it is.
> > >
> > > By all means industry players need mechanisms to
> promote responsible
> > > behaviour in the media but aggression against
> media houses in light of the
> > > current political crisis is in my opinion
> misplaced.
> > >
> > > regards
> > > Farida
> > >
> > >
> > > ----- Original Message -----
> > > *From:* Wainaina Mungai