Journalism is printing what someone else does not want printed; everything else is public relations – George Orwell, British journalist and novelist, 1903-1950
“Did the Pakistan [Pakistani] and his driver forcefully drive over the spiked barrier at the roadblock? Aren’t police supposed to simply immobilise a vehicle by shooting the tyres where a motorist disobeys orders to stop? Why did the police shoot without correctly reading the number plate of the vehicle? How could the officer(s) mistake a Toyota Prado for the Mercedes Benz said to have been stolen?”
Good questions, posed by The Standard in an editorial on Monday, October 25 (p.16). Who is supposed to answer them? Police. And what are journalists supposed to do about the puzzling shooting dead of investigative Pakistani journalist Arshad Sharif by police in Kajiado? Report faithfully the findings of police investigations into their admitted shooting dead of an unarmed foreign civilian. Is that good journalism? Shouldn’t journos do their own independent investigation?
Wacha kutusumbua na maswali mingi, bwana. Shida yako ni nini? Kwani unatakaje?
Since the killing of Sharif on Sunday, October 24, every media house has reproduced police gabble about “a case of mistaken identity”. No one, it seems, knows any other way of trying to find out the truth about what happened. Regurgitating official narratives is churnalism. You would never uncover the truth that way. Or hold power to account.
“Raila orders probe into poll loss as he begins push for reforms,” the Daily Nation headline stated on October 25 (p.7). The story said, “Opposition leader Raila Odinga has ordered an audit of the last election to identify his vulnerabilities even as he faces an internal rebellion that will test his grip on his political constituency.”
Baba wants to know why and how he lost for the fifth time. Who is going to do the audit? Has Baba appointed a task force or reputable organisation? Who is in the team? What exactly will they be looking into? How will they go about the task? What are their objectives? Timelines? How does His Earthquakeness, The Owner of The Earth, intend to use the findings? Will it be an expensive audit? How much?
The Daily Nation didn’t have answers to any of these questions. Imagine.
After the intro: “National Assembly Minority Whip Junet Mohamed, a close confidant of Mr Odinga, said the Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition boss was working with national and international organisations to audit the August 9 General Election he lost narrowly to President William Ruto in order to understand what happened.”
Names of the national and international organisations? When do they start? Where? How?
“Mr Odinga has however pushed back suggestions that his clamour for constitutional reforms targeting the courts and electoral commission is laying the ground for a sixth presidential bid.”
Nah. Who is doing Raila’s poll loss audit, when, where, how, at what cost and for what purpose?
“There are glaring things he has come across and the audit will reveal what happened. He will share with Kenyans at the appropriate time,” said Mr Mohamed, insisting that the audit does not suggest a 2027 presidential run for Mr Odinga.
Sigh. What did Kimathi Street know about this alleged audit, other than what Junet told them? Nothing. Story began and ended with what “Raila’s close confidant” said. Is this good journalism? Shouldn’t journos try to find out more, be sceptical about what a single source says? If indeed the Azimio leader has ordered an audit, why would the details be scarce?
Wacha kutusumbua na maswali mingi, bwana. Shida yako ni nini? Kwani unatakaje?
Sorry basi. Anyone can reproduce police updates. In the Digital Era, cop stories are all over the internet. In fact, during the reign of chief sleuth George Kinoti at DCI, “it emerged” there are far better storytellers on Kiambu Road than in most newsrooms.
Anyone can parrot back what Junet or any other politico says. Some bloggers produce far more content in a day than most journalists, and have more influence on public opinion. So, what makes journalists different from bloggers, or the storytellers at Mazingira House? Or the PR guys and Big Man spin doctors?
George Orwell said it all. We are independent. We publish without fear or favour. We are sceptical. We verify. We don’t take Junet’s word or police’s as the gospel truth. We search beneath the rocks of official narratives. We know everything. We are ahead of everyone. No one understands this country better than us. No one.
But that’s all hype. Why lie, at critical moments our journalism lacks professional rigour. Why should the public trust us?
See you next week!
