Some news stories are a load of hot air. They add nothing of value to the reader’s mind. In fact, they are an insult to one’s intelligence. Such stories cause intellectual constipation.
Take a story appearing in People Daily on Monday, August 20, under the heading, “Play your role is shaping Africa, Ruto tells youth.”
The report is based on an event Ruto attended in Kampala, Uganda, where he received the 2018 Lifetime Achievement Award. Who organised the event? The report did not say. Who were the winners in other categories? Not a word.
“Deputy President William Ruto has called on the youth to take their rightful place in society and shape Africa’s development,” the paper reported.
What exactly is the news here? What did Ruto ask the youth to do? What’s the youth’s “rightful place in society”? And how might they take it?
What is Africa’s development and how are youth supposed to “shape” it?
“He said youth should not allow their power to transform the continent be understated by the often-used notion that their time would come tomorrow”, the paper reported.
What are the youth expected to do to avoid this possibility?
“You must be hungry for a better future if you are to make it in life, and turn around the society. Impossible is a word with diminished application and relevance,” he said.
Sounds like one of those prosperity sermons – full of generalities, zero specifics.
“But for the youths to unlock their potential, the DP said there is need for Africa’s education system to be reformed to lean towards science, technology and technical training.”
If, indeed, the DP said so, then he must believe, like some mzungus, that Africa is a country with one education system. And what is the difference between “technology” and “technical training”, as implied in that paragraph?
“And in a speech read by Prime Minister Ruhakana Rugunda, President Yoweri Museveni urged youths to focus on issues that are transformative.”
What is that? Issues that are transformative?
News must mean something. The DP’s press service, which supplied this story, succeeded in portraying him as an empty talker. Even if that, indeed, is all Ruto said, this is poor storytelling. The report could have been packaged better. And the editors would have done well to cut it down to a news brief, not the main story on a page.
But People Daily was not alone in running a fatuous story. On Wednesday, August 22, the Star carried a report entitled, “Uhuru to discuss trade, security with Trump in Monday meeting” (p.6). The report was about the President’s US visit this week. It was the lead story on the page.
“Speaking to the Star yesterday, State House spokesperson Kanze Dena said Uhuru will be accompanied by a number of people,” the paper reported.
What balderdash? Where is the news here? Of course Uhuru would not travel to the US alone, would he? Who didn’t know he would be accompanied by a number of people?
“Trump, who is serving his first term since his election in November 2016, invited Uhuru to the White House.”
State House made this announcement weeks ago.
“The two Presidents are expected to hold discussions on ways to broaden their strategic partnership based on shared democratic values and mutual interests.”
What is the point here? What will Uhuru and Trump discuss exactly? What is: strategic partnership? Shared democratic values? Mutual interests?
For personal intellectual hygiene, the Observer urges news audiences to avoid bloating their heads with this kind of junk.
Journalists worth the name would by now have told the public precisely what Kenyatta’s meeting with Trump is about, not merely reproducing press releases and State House claptrap.
