Are we a media state?
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 ____________________________________________________________________________________ Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now. http://mobile.yahoo.com/;_ylt=Ahu06i62sR8HDtDypao8Wcj9tAcJ
honestly I an unable to establish the bone of contention in this evolving saga. Govt appoints a task force to Audit the Media's Pre & Post election behaviour, then Media Council does the same and then hell brakes loose...each side saying the other has no right to carry out the Audit Task. obviously there is something both sides know that we (public) dont know. Methinks both sides already have a pre-meditated report and recommendations and either side wants to pre-empt the other. My take, from a Governance point of view is that none of them is 'neutral' enough to do such a task given that each is an interested party according to the 4 pillars of democratic traditions (Executive, Parliament, Judiciary and the 4th-Estate) As Harry Hare alluded to last week, maybe Civil Society should do this 'Audit-thing' after all. walu. --- Alex Gakuru <alex.gakuru@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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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@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
____________________________________________________________________________________ Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now. http://mobile.yahoo.com/;_ylt=Ahu06i62sR8HDtDypao8Wcj9tAcJ
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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.
Here's one of them. Will forward in batches Alex Gakuru <alex.gakuru@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 ____________________________________________________________________________________ Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now. http://mobile.yahoo.com/;_ylt=Ahu06i62sR8HDtDypao8Wcj9tAcJ _______________________________________________ kictanet mailing list kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet This message was sent to: estherkamweru@yahoo.com Unsubscribe or change your options at http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/estherkamweru%40yahoo.c... --------------------------------- Looking for last minute shopping deals? Find them fast with Yahoo! Search.
participants (4)
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Alex Gakuru -
Esther kamweru -
John Walubengo -
MediaSpeak Africa