BSERVER Watching the Watchdog Debunking Fake News
Taming Hate Speech
JANUARY- MARCH 2015
A Publication of the Media Council of Kenya
The Media Observer
Issue 3, 22 January 2018
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Journalism is about integrity When a mad man dances naked in the marketplace in broad daylight, it is his relatives who suffer the shame. Not him. You know Donald Trump. The less said about him the better. So, let’s just say that when Trump opens his mouth and words like s*#thole spit out, or when he fires out a tweet, all those millions of decent Americans who believe in the inherent dignity and brotherhood and sisterhood of humanity cringe. It’s the same with our community of scribes. When one of us goes and rolls in the mud, all of us scribes suffer the shame. As watchdogs of society, ours is a high calling. As the Good Book says -- Ok, the Good Book doesn't have very good things to say about scribes, so let’s put it aside. Over a week ago in the wee hours of January 12, a journalist working for Radio Citizen in Malindi was physically assaulted by police, the Start reported. The journalist, whom the Star identified as Zomolo Wanje, reportedly showed up at Malindi Police Station at about 1:00 am to inquire why his brother was arrested. Wanje said a "rogue" cop demanded to know why he was at the station at such late hour. Before the good man could even answer, the cop reportedly whacked him in the face and summarily threw him in a cell for eight hours, while his brother was released! It is difficult to say exactly what transpired here. Media reports only have Wanje’s account of the incident – which, by the way, is a lapse in good reporting; a news story running with a single source, much less the subject, is hoplessly lame. Anyhow, back to our story about night journalits and rogue cops. Of course, the Kenya Police Service may have an awful lot of rogue cops. But why would a cop pounce on a man for walking into a station to request for information, whatever the hour? The alleged assault should be swiftly investigatigated. On the other hand, if Wanje wondered into a police station in the dead of night wearing the badge of “journalist” – and we’re not saying he did – he would be abusing our trade and profession. Here is the common-sense rule: when you’re out on your own night business that has nothing to do with journalism, you’re not a journalist. And media should not scream that a journalist – implicitly in the line of duty – was assaulted. Both bring shame to all of us. Journalism is about integrity. We can’t stand atop a moral pedestal pontificating to others while we ourselves are naked. See you Monday!
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Issue 3, 22 January 2018
Fake NASA controversay on Citizen TV
"Is NASA forcing members to support Raila swearing in?" This was the headline of a report flashed last Wednesday by Citizen Digital, the news website of Citizen TV. Further, the broadcaster circulated the story via its Twitter handle, @citizentvkenya. Reaction under the tweet was fast and furious. Dennis Malala: “This station is f@*ked up, most of us are educated and know how propaganda smells”. Okoth Stephanie: “Is your station being used to propel propaganda?” Kencatter Navigator: “Is Citizen TV now a cityshit propaganda tool influenced by NIS [National Intelligence Service]?” Majani Chasia: “What agenda are you after as a media house?” Mohammed Adan: “Can you just air Inspector Mwala and leave NASA alone?” And so on.
before switching back to the original. The story remained the same. “Controversy is brewing in the National Super Alliance over claims that the coalition is forcing its legislators to sign an affidavit pledging support for the planned “swearing in” of Raila Odinga and Kalonzo Musyoka on January 30,” Benjamin Muriuki reported. In the affidavit, according to the report, NASA MPs and Senators were required to append their signatures acknowledging Mr. Odinga as the “People’s President of the Republic of Kenya having been duly elected by the people of Kenya on August 8, 2017.” So, what “controversy” did Muriuki see “brewing?” Who would be the protagonists and antagonists in this predicted drama? The reporter does not say. Moreover, no information was given to support the claim that NASA was “forcing” its legislators to sign a document supporting Raila’s swearing in.
In fact, Muriuki quoted a prominent NASA leader as At some point Citizen dropped that headline and replaced it with, "NASA MPs sign affidavit to support Raila swearing in" refuting claims that the coalition was forcing its members to support the swearing in.
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Issue 3, 22 January 2018
Time to!
“Homa Bay Woman Representative Gladys Wanga has, however, dismissed claims that the legislators are being forced to sign the document.”
of electoral justice in the swearing in of Raila Odinga.
So sho made the claims? When? Where? Muriuki did not say.
This is voluntary. If you don’t want to sign, you don’t sign. Nobody will be forced,” said Wanga.
In the absence of anyone contradicting Wanga in this report, on what basis did Citizen conclude that NASA was forcing its members to sign an affidavit supporting Raila Odinga’s planned swearing in? And where was the “controversy”?
Morover, Citizen Digital further quoted Wanga as follows: “What we did as NASA MPs is to come up with an initiative that will show commitment to our leaders and to the From the reader’s perspective, the answer seems obvious: electorate. We want to show our commitment to the course Benjamin Muriuki and Citizen TV made it up.
A Million youth at Uhuru Park A million youths. What might that look like? Just imagine. A multi-colour sea of humanity extending beyond the horizon. Kenya’s largest sports stadium, Kasarani, has a seating capacity of just 60,000. Now think of at least 16 Kasaranis, full. So many human beings, until the eyes get sore just looking at them. This, according to the Star, is the number of youths Siaya Governor Cornell Rasanga will pay for to attend NASA leader Raila Odinga’s swearing in as the “People’s President” at Uhuru Park. The story appeard on January 15 2018 under the headline, “Rasanga to facilitate 1 million youths to attend Raila’s swearing in.” A million youths. How will Governor Rasanga ferry them to Nairobi from Siaya – or wherever? By bus? Boda bodas? According to the scribes at Lions Place, Rasanga will not only transport this multitude to Uhuru Park, “they will be given a meal 3 of soda and bread.” A million sodas. Half a million loaves of bread. This would be a logistics miracle beyond biblical proportions! Now, the Star proclaims itself to be independent, fresh and different. No argument there. But this story of transporting a million youths to Uhuru Park hits the mind like a ton of bricks. Only the Star reporter Eric Oloo and his editors can make sense of it.
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Issue 3, 22 January 2018
Stoking religious hate?
In an article in The Christian Science Monitor, Dan Murphy argues that the now widely used term Islamist, usually in the context of terrorism, as in the case of The Standard report, is misleading. “Heavily armed militants occupied Ishakani Police Station in “The Muslim Brotherhood of Egypt is Islamist. So is Al Qaeda, which despises the Brotherhood for participating in Lamu and hoisted an Islamist flag there for several hours politics. And so is Tunisia's Al Nahda, which says it doesn't yesterday before withdrawing,” the paper reported. even want Islamic law mentioned in the constitution.” Last Monday the Standard carried a story titled, “Islamists take over deserted police station and hoist flag.” (The Standard, January 15, 2018, p.6)
“Area residents told The Standard that the insurgents were in the village for hours and left around 8am. Some of the militants wore balaclavas and jungle uniform […].” Throughout this report the words “Islamists”,” militants” and “insurgents” are sprinkled interchangeably. But who is an Islamist? Is an Islamist always militant?These have become politically charged words, and the Standard casually got sucked into a mess. With the rise of the so-called global war on terror, there is continuing concern that media coverage of terrorism has, deliberately or unwittingly, implicated Islam in violent extremism. Yet, authentic Islam is a religion of peace.
When journalism loses to PR
So, who, precisely, is an Islamist? We turn to the AP Stylebook, touted as the gold standard for news writing. It describes “islamist” as follows: "An advocate or supporter of a political movement that favors reordering government and society in accordance with laws prescribed by Islam. Do not use as a synonym for Islamic fighters, militants, extremists or radicals, who may or may not be Islamists. Where possible, be specific and use the name of militant affiliations: al-Qaida-linked, Hezbollah, Taliban, etc. Those who view the Quran as a political model encompass a wide range of Muslims, from mainstream politicians to militants known as jihadi." That is clear, isn’t it?
Stories on this subject often have little context. It is generally A Handbook on Reporting Terrorism (2016), published by suggested that “violent extremists” carry out deadly attacks the Media Council of Kenya, seems to agree with the AP simply because their religion, Islam, permits it. Stylebook. The Handbook asks the reader: But when one reads serious studies on violent extremism, like last year’s UNDP report, “Journey To Extremism In Africa: Drivers, incentives and the tipping point for recruitment,” one is amazed at the complexity of terrorism beyond the Islamic label.
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“What words have you seen your colleagues use that may simply serve to incite violence or incite hatred or fear? What words should be avoided in our coverage of violent extremism and terrorism and what words are Ok?” (p.10) “Islamist” is listed among the words to avoid. Take note..
Issue 3, 22 January 2018
This is not conflict sensitive journalism!
This is not a figment of our imagination. Former presidential candidate Nazlin Umar shared that picture on her Facebook page, with a long and somewhat incendiary rant. “Kitui East MP Nimrod Mbai held an illicit operation armed to flash [sic] out #Nomads from the area???!! Kwani nomads are wild animals?????? He has become the pharaoh??” Nazlin wrote.
Could fresh trouble be brewing between the Kamba and Somali communities on the Kitui County border? We ask because on last Monday the Nation published a photograph that sparked passionate debate online. On Page 5 of the January 8 issue, the paper carried a photograph with the following caption: “MP, herder face off: Kitui MP Nimrod Mbai in a heated argument with a Somali herdsboy at Kinanie in Endau on Saturday during an operation to flash [sic] out the nomads from the area.”
“Where are the law enforcers, the president’s office too? This conflict did not start today. And if the nomads decide to flush out the Kambas from their lands, what hell will befall the region? What a shame! He was caught on camera facing off [with] a young Somali herder, to leave his constituency. It’s beyond a face-off. The MP is wielding weapons. A bow and arrows. Those things kill. That was a clear threat…” She went on: "I love the boy's posture. Look at him, calm and confident!!! Awesome, and guts!!! So brave MashaAllah."
“Why do people have so much tribalism and hate? Then aren't these the same side of the Kambas registering themselves in the same neighbouring Garissa, the lands of This kind of reporting breaches every single rule of conflict the same pastoralists/ same nomads to bend/manipulate sensitive journalism. Communal conflicts are a serious matter voting patterns of the local nomads to suit their choice of in Kenya, yet the Nation did not supply adequate information. leaders?? Wasn't that an infiltration of the nomads rights to elect their own???” What was the operation to flush out nomads? Who ordered the operation and why? What are the sticking points in the And so on and so forth… conflict? At the time of writing this review, Nazlin’s post had The conflict is framed as only pitting two sides, the Somali received tens of likes and impassioned comments. It had and the Kamba communities. Such reporting is simplistic. been shared many times, too. There is no indication of any efforts to end the conflict. So, the conflict is misleadingly presented as a permanent state of affairs between Somalis and Kambas.
In the absence of hard facts about these and related questions and a sensitive presentation of the context, the matter was left to speculation, with the potential to eescalate conflict! Think, for example, what would be going on in the minds of the Somali community looking at that picture: We are under attack by the Kambas, they would think. And then what?
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Conflicts, big and small, are part of life. But journalism should not fuel conflict. Pay attention to the tenets of conflict sensitive journalism: “If we only report the bare facts about violent conflict, citizens will only understand the conflict in those terms. But if we search for news beyond the bare facts and present more information to citizens, including possible solutions, they may see the conflict in different terms.” (Conflict Sensitive Journalism, IMS, 2014: 31)
Issue 3, 22 January 2018
Go ahead, blame villagers and miss a Sh6 billion stench!
Look, we are talking about a multi-billion-shilling smallholder farmers’ project covering two constituencies and which “is already 90 per cent complete,” according to Oduor’s report. That could transform lives of people far beyond Karachuonyo and Rangwe. Yet all that the Nation newspaper can tell us about it is villagers washing their clothes in the dam? Seriously? Who designed this project? To solve what problem? Are the goals on course to be met? If not, why? Who is in charge? Where does the buck stop? What do the local people think?
Finally, a bland story. Bare. Like the village puppy’s breakfast of leftover ugali soaked in cold water. The Nation’s Barack Oduor reported last Tuesday that the residents of Homa Bay are using a Sh6 billion dam to wash clothes. Just that. Nothing else. “A multi-billion shilling dam in Homa Bay County could become a white elephant as residents wash their clothes there instead of watering crops,” Oduor reported in the paper’s January 16 edition. The reporter, who apparently is based in the county, seems not to have noticed anything wrong – until two MPs from the area raised the issue. “Yesterday, two MPs claimed residents of Karachuonyo and Rangwe constituencies were misusing the Sh6 billion Kimira Oluch Smallholder Farm Irrigation Project.”
You hear a story with a million shillings in it, a million important questions pop up. A Sh6 billion story? Oh, well! These are the few moments when journalism with outrage is justified. But instead of charging at this story like a bulldog, for example hitting the offices of authorities with hard questions, Oduor merely reproduces the MPs’ lazy blame on the villagers. The villagers! They have refused to irrigate their farms with water from the dam, why? The reporter would most likely have seen no story in this likely gigantic scandal had the two MPs not spoken up about it being a “white elephant.” Sadly, much of our journalism is like this, reproducing what speakers (politicians) say at events. Do we have a journalist out there able to do a serious investigative story on the Kimira Oluch irrigation project?
The rest of the story is almost entirely about what the politicians said. Ahem. Looks like Oduor has never heard of an animal called Development Journalism. We don’t know, but “white elephant” was probably inserted in his copy by a thoughtful sub-editor. We recommend evening classes. Or Google. This is certainly a big story. Or has the wastage of taxpayers’ money become so rampant in Kenya that Sh6 billion is now seen as pocket change, even by reporters?
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Issue 3, 22 January 2018
News that never was. #FakeNews! 1
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4 In 2016, Melissa Zimdars, Assistant Professor of Communication and Media Studies at Merrimack College, USA, defined fake news as sources that entirely fabricate information, disseminate deceptive content, or grossly distort actual news reports. When the High Court of Kenya lifted a ban on night travel, KTN News on 19th January 2018 in its twitter account carried the story but surprisingly used photos of previous road accidents. Based on Samdars’ description of fake news, the photos can distort the news on the ban on night travel.
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Issue 3, 22 January 2018
The Media Observer is published weekly by the Media Council of Kenya.
Media Council of Kenya P.O. Box 43132 – 00100 Nairobi, Kenya
Chief Executive Officer David Omwoyo Programme Manager Victor Bwire Project Team Leader Kodi Barth Media Monitoring Leo Mutisya Editor Henry Makori Layout Simon Njuguna Tel: (+254 20) 2737058, 2725032 Cell: +254 727 735252 observer@mediacouncil.or.ke
@MediaObserverKE
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Issue 3, 22 January 2018