Alai: I believe that we are past passionate tribal accusations and now at the audit of the harm done by media and related actors stage. All media outlets including stations you have left out will be audited. It would be incomplete to leave out new media; blogs, sms, and public mailing lists because this is where raw hate was continually spewed to incite innocent vulnerable people to turn on their best friends. The sources will be indisputably very clear. Bw. PS reiterated that he only wants us to agree on the form because the audit is a must to avoid going this route ever again. on 21 May 2007, I sent a message to kictanet refereing to http://www.yle.fi/ripe/Papers/Brants_Bardoel.pdf "Death Duties: Kelly, Fortuyn, and the challenge to media governance" --excerpts-- "(t)he press is immensely competitive ( ) As a result of this ( ), I dont feel the media report the news. They only report the news through a prism of sensation, scandal and confrontation. The news as such is not sufficiently interesting. Alastair Campbell, the former spokesman of Britains Prime Minister Tony Blair, blamed the BBC for taking a one-way road to cynicism. When it dominates most judgements, the medias dominant role becomes the erosion of confidence in politics The press serves as a watchdog for democracy, but a watchdog that barks too often is useless. An information channel that distorts the information fulfils no function. In any other sector where the product is so vital for society and the risk of a loss of quality so great, the government would have intervened. The principle of press freedom makes this impossible. Consequently this is a task for the press itself, given the potential danger and social harm of media that behave as a political actor without showing accountability(Donner 2004; our translation KB&JB). We have turned politics into a media circus. He who looks attractive and formulates well can count on our attention, but we cut their heads off when they disappoint us (translation ours KB&JB). On the basis of a comparative case study of two critical events in two different countries the Kelly suicide case in the UK and the subsequent debate about the BBCs role and responsibility, and the Fortuyn murder in the Netherlands and the subsequent debate about the lack of TVs responsiveness and accountability - the paper analyses the political, institutional and professional responses, the similarity and difference in the mechanisms proposed to reinvigorate trust, and how, in such different political and media systems, broadcasting organisations and journalists come to terms with responsibility and accountability on the one hand and professional freedom and autonomy on the other." The legitimacy of legally entrusting public media and professionally entrusting journalists with the power to define reality and interpret meaning, is based on reciprocity, on trusting media and journalists to dutifully and reliably live up to public expectations. Trust that they aim at truth finding, at balanced and pluralist reporting, at independence from political and economic influence, at a sense of social responsibility as well as responsiveness to society, at their watchdog role being in the public interest and not personally or economically inspired, etc. That trust built on and earned by socially responsible behaviour - is being challenged, while it is exactly in situations of uncertainty that trust is necessary (Luhmann, 1989). I really recommend reading this short 20-page paper and see how the media changed a government and caused death. -------- To Kanja's list could we also add; - Critical review of media houses Editorial Policies and if they reflect (Re)public interests? - International media prejudices... Alex --- Robert Alai <alai.robert@gmail.com> wrote:
Wainaina
This is funny. On one hand you are describing how KTN/Standard did incite the public and ignore the fact that All Royal Media outlets including RamogiFM, Kameme, and KBC have gone to become Kikuyu chauvinist and not ready to protect the interest of Kenya. On another hand you claim ho the current Kenyan problem is political. *THE PROBLEM IS NOT POLITICAL BUT ETHNIC. *I have just come from a tour which took me from Tigoni, Juja, Nyeri, Naivasha, Eldoret, Kisumu, Yala and Busia. I travelled with the IDPs and listened and cried of what I heard. Kenyans are being denied their rights because they are not Kikuyu. I have the word of MPs and confirmed with IOM that the government explicitly informed the Redcross and IOM not to serve some communities. I have horror tales of women whose husbands were hacked with pangas inside Tigoni police station and the police couldnt save because they are not Kikuyu. I have talked to Abbas of IOM of how different Redcross is treating IDPs. kikuyu IDPs are treated with all care and others ignored. I personally snatched blankets from Pamela who is the regional redcross manager in Kisumu when she refused to give them to mothers and chidren I transported from tigoni and naivasha. I brought 17 buses and called redcross and informed them of my mission. I had a meeting with Dr Simiyu and Abbas Guled and they agreed to prepare the ground. After a whole day travel I got redcross not ready and when they saw the buses is when they started cutting the mbogas and meat. We handed over 4 children whose mother was admitted to Agha khan with serious illness and redcross took the children to a police station in Siaya.
Kenyan problem is tribal and not political. We cannot have one tribe running roughshod and even the religious leaders from Kikuyu preaching the Kikuyu superiority. We cannot have one tribe killing and maiming Kenyans while claiming there is a genocide against Kikuyus. No Kikuyu was killed in Kisumu. Infact they were protected and even I have Mwangi, and Kuria who are my friends living and working in Kisumu even now when they cant work anywhere else. But Kibaki is ordering NGOs not to serve non Kikuyus. Kikuyus enjoy greater access to loans and even humanitarian assistance. Go to Kondele in Kisumu where the Kikuyu IDPs are housed. You will find that there is a bigger difference with Moi stadium where redcross dont want to even put basic facilities forcing the local community in Kisumu to house the IDPs at St Stephens.
kenyans, these theories of Bitange and Wainaina only works for the few they serve. Bitange was key in selling 51percent shares of Telkom Kenya to the french consortium at 26 Billion Ksh. Before that the government cleared a debt of 69 billion. if 51% shares were sold at 26 it menas that Telkom Kenya was just worht 52 Billion. Why settle a debt of 69 billion? What is the mathematics here? telkom Kenya was worthless? Shame on you Bitange. Only people who dont know your inner dealings will respect what you say. You really like to please masters and never acts proffesionaly.
Alai
On Thu, Feb 14, 2008 at 7:03 PM, Wainaina Mungai <wainaina@madeinkenya.org> wrote:
I believe Waruru has raised an important question especially as relates to .....should Media houses be partisan? or must Media houses remain neutral independent of the preference of their owners?
My take is that Media is too critical as a part of society that it must not be partisan. We call the Press the "Fourth Estate" and we should make the press non-partisan just as we require the judiciary or other statutory bodies to be non-partisan even though the individuals running those institutions may be free to support different political leanings.
Dear Alai, let's all admit we have erred no matter what party or ideology we support. The political bias of the media is the problem we turn our focus to as it has brought us to the crisis we find ourselves in. My example of KTN/Standard also pointed out that other media houses (the same that you mentioned), have to deal with the fact that they are perceived as partisan in favour of the establishment. I also chose to deflect the debate to "way forward". Please let us not trivialise it as a matter of tribal chauvinism coz we will lose sight of the issues at hand. Let's work together for a win-win solution.
I would like to venture into analysing the role of SMS and the Internet but that would divert my atention from the unsolved problem of a Media that can destroy Kenya if left untempered.
On 2/13/08, Robert Alai <alai.robert@gmail.com> wrote:
Kenyans and Friends of Kenya
The Media shuldnt have media council. The media must go the way of the SA broadcast complaints commision which must be independent of the media and the gvernment. And guys and especially Wainaina. Please dont bring the PNU vs ODM politics in this forum. We are going to that direction and it wont help us. Lets all know that KTN has a duty to inform people just the way Royal Media and KBC and the Kameme 24 has been sending Kikuyu enthnic chauvinism in our ears. We have situations in this country where even Redcross and IOM have been called and informed by the government not to transport some IDPs. Please know that Kenya cant be in an imagined peace state. And peace exist only where justice is. Even if Raila and Kibaki agrees know that thre will be no peace without the people's right protected.
Alai
On Feb 13, 2008 2:49 PM, Kanja Waruru <kanjawaruru@yahoo.com> wrote:
hi all, i like mungai's line of thought and i would like to contribute an additional point.
for media houses to be transparent during elections the media council should insist that each media house state their position's publicly and declare the parties/presidential candidates that they support/endorse or if they intend to remain neutral and independent.
this way the public will be making informed decision when they tune/buy into a particular media. Kanja
--- 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:
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