VIA LEE MAKWINY I want to salute my comrades Dikembe Disembe, Phil Wesonga and Robert Alai Onyango for putting the Kenyan media on the spot. The purpose of the media is to inform people about current ,new affairs and to tell about the latest gossip and fashion. Society is influenced by media in so many ways. It is the media for the masses that helps them to get information about a lot of things and also to form opinions and make judgments regarding various issues! It is the media which keeps the people updated and informed about what is happening around them and the world. Everyone can draw something from it. We expect journalists to maintain independence and objectivity – and certainly not pledge “cooperation” with jubilee government as they are currently doing. The Kenyan media has changed alot ever since the statehouse breakfast. Just today, Dikembe Disembe unmasked a The People Daily reporter, a Anthony Mwangi (picture in a bar) who used a FAKE name Winstone Cheseremi to distort a information of what Raila Odinga said yesterday when he addressed the press. It is difficult, but from the name, its obvious the objective of the media house was to distort the main reason of the press. I was present during the entire presser. After the presser, I saw my friend ODM Director of communication Philip Etale giving our the printed press statement and he further emailed the PDF version. It is therefore shocking how a media house can take a distorted story and make it its headline. Yes, we understand that the People Daily has transitioned from a respected media to a gutter. We also know that the President bought it and is now using it as part of his propaganda machine. However, the Journalist are supposed to be guided by basic Journalism Ethics.They should not be put the profession to disrepute. How can readers discern the truth between the lines? Listed here are common methods employed by the media – intentionally or not – to influence public opinion. By being aware of these methods, we can avoid becoming a pawn in the media proganda and focus on our main objectives of #OkoaKenya from the mess we have been subjected to by the mafia. Here are the “7 Violations of Media Objectivity”: 1. Misleading definitions and terminology. 2. Imbalanced reporting. 3. Opinions disguised as news. 4. Lack of context. 5. Selective omission. 6. Using true facts to draw false conclusions. 7. Distortion of facts. By failing to provide proper context and full background information, journalists can dramatically distort the true picture. The BIG question is: Should Raila Odinga and other CORD leaders invest in their own media? Or Should they also compromise quack Journalist like Antony Mwangi and fill their tables with more rounds and rounds? My friend Dikembe, as a young journalist who has traveled far and wide, can you do a story about this questions I am asking.
Posted on: Thu, 23 Oct 2014 13:48:29 +0000