A bishop once whispered that Jesus was very strategic about his resurrection. He first appeared to a woman. Why? Because he was sure within no time the story would sambaza around the village and across the hills.
Journalists are not the only storytellers. Everyone tells stories every day. At home, in a matatu, in hospital, at Thursday’s dog market in Lubao, in church. So, what do journalists bring to stories that others don’t?
Well, to start with most scribes nowadays have a diploma or degree in storytelling. They spend years in college learning the craft. Of course everyone learns storytelling, but it is usually informal while growing up.
In college, trainee scribes learn to be keen and analytical observers of society. They are taught to tell stories within the law and a strict code of professional practice. That means there are stories others can tell but journalists can’t. Or certain aspects of stories they may not tell in a particular way, whereas the great storyteller perched high on a bar stool at Honey Pot or the two women at the salon have no such restrictions.
Journalistic storytelling is a rigorous process with many players before the story reaches the eyes and ears of audiences. Some stories never see the light of day for reasons to do with the law, ethics, business interests or politics.
Journalists normally work for an institution for pay. The huffing and puffing fellow drenched in sweat as he climbs the village hill to break the story of a dangerously flooded river that has swallowed a third of the farms doesn’t need a newsroom. He is not paid for his report either.
These factors – and a myriad of others – distinguish the journalist from storytellers at Dagoretti slaughterhouse, Mukuru kwa Njenga, inside the dingy rooms of sin behind River Road and elsewhere.
Audiences expect the journalist to have a better understanding of society. He or she has the skills and technical tools to investigate, verify information, separate the grain from the chaff, package it properly and deliver to audiences way bigger than a village gathering. Technology enables the reporter to relay the messages to potentially the whole world.
Unfortunately, however, plenty of journalism is no better than village storytelling. No serious attempts are made to investigate claims, verify information or to present the full picture of what is reported so that audiences have a good understanding of public issues (See story on Radio Citizen below). Often, news consumers are left unenlightened and confused.
On May 12, for instance, NTV Tonight carried a story titled, “BBI petitions and blows”. News anchor Smriti Vidyati told viewers that, “The Building Bridges Initiative secretariat led by Suna East MP Junet Mohamed and former Dagoretti South MP Dennis Waweru are calling on the courts to read the mood of Kenyans in supporting the Constitution (Amendment) Bill 2020 and rule in their favour”. There were several cases in court challenging the process, which the High Court declared unconstitutional on May 13.
Now, every journalist, unlike storytellers in a chang’aa den, ought to know that the courts do not determine cases on the basis of public mood. They follow the facts, the evidence and the law. Junet and Waweru cannot direct courts through statements sent to newsrooms. The media should not be used to pile political pressure on the courts to decide cases in a certain way. Journalists are a special class of storytellers.
See you next week!
