By Origa Vera and Ian Francis
Detachment is the emotional approach of a journalist to the content of broadcast while on air. Impartiality is treating all rivals in a contest equally. How detached should a journalist be or, better, how impartial?
A journalist should be fully detached from an issue to avoid conflict of interest and achieve impartiality. Neutrality and detachment come in handy especially when the issue is hotly contested, such as the upcoming presidential elections.
Let’s take the example of Jukwaa La Sasa, a morning current affairs show on Sasa FM, hosted by Fred Mwami. The show involves an interactive session between the hosts and their audience on an array of issues.
On a recent live call during the show, the presenter stated that, “Raila hakupigania uhuru wa vyombo vya habari, lakini wewe hapo Kakamega unasema kwamba Raila ndio amepigania uhuru wa vyombo vya habari’’.
He concluded the call by saying: “Ka ni kupiga kura pigeni tu lakini kubeba sifa kupea huyo mtu…’’ he laughed sarcastically.
Surprised, the next caller boldly told the presenter to allow callers to air their comments and listen to them.
From the conversation, it was crystal clear the presenter was fully attached to one side of the political divide. He clearly could not stand callers praising the leader of the political side he did not support.
His attachment to one political side compromised his credibility and impartiality. The emotional attachment could not allow him to hold his opinion.
Mwami protested that everyone was praising Raila, yet he hadn’t done a lot for the country. He added that it was former Vice President Kijana Wamalwa and Kitui Governor Charity Ngilu who helped Mwai Kibaki clinch the presidency in 2002, but not Raila.
The presenter said former Butere MP Martin Shikuku helped in the push for multipartism, and not Raila.
Of course it is a matter of historical record that Raila Odinga was at the forefront in the fight for multiparty democracy as much as Shikuku and the others. The presenter, due to his attachment to one side of the political divide, turned a blind eye to the facts and saw them as mere praises when a caller mentioned them.
Mghala muue na haki yake mpe. Raila alongside others helped champion for multi-party democracy, and that is worth mentioning, isn’t it?
The presenter’s affiliation with one side of the political divide made him overlook the other side’s achievements, viewing them as mere praises. He was openly biased, and this is contrary to the principle of neutrality.
Journalists should present themselves with integrity, common decency, and neutrality so as to avoid real or perceived conflict of interest, says the Code of Conduct for the Practice of Journalism in Kenya.
