Alireza Akbari was executed in Tehran in January. Iran puts people to death alarmingly often, so the Earth did not stop revolving around the sun after Akbari was hanged. Except this was a high-profile execution.
Akbari was a former deputy defence minister and veteran of the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war. He held British citizenship. In 2019, Akbari was arrested and charged with spying for the UK. He denied it.
After the UK and its allies condemned the execution as a “callous and cowardly act, carried out by a barbaric regime”, the world moved on.
But not the New York Times. The newspaper went to work.
On May 1, NYT published a world exclusive titled, “Iranian insider and British spy: How a double life ended on the gallows.”
Turned out the charges of espionage against Akbari were, in fact, true. He was an agent of the British foreign intelligence service MI6. For at least 10 years, Akbari provided Britain with a steady supply of intel on Iran.
That is how the UK and its allies learnt of Iran’s clandestine nuclear programme.
NYT reported that Akbari spied on more than 100 Iranian officials, among them Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, the nuclear scientist known as the “father of the Iranian bomb.” Mohsen was assassinated by Mossad inside Iran on November 27, 2020 using a remote-controlled gun.
Going by the Annual Journalism Excellence Awards, Kenya produces fine journalism. Rachel Ombaka, one of the judges for this year’s edition, wrote that:
“Of the record 1,256 entries, 68 journalists were awarded for their unique storytelling capabilities; bravery in the pursuit of untold stories, seeking to change stereotypes or misleading narratives; holding the government to account; timeless effort in getting views from diverse, often difficult or far-flung sources, particularly lending a voice to the voiceless; excellent command of the language they chose to tell the story in; and the overall contribution to the profession.”
Yet the bulk of the entries – and rest of news content – tells another story.
Whenever a big story breaks here (not an execution, thank God), news coverage runs on a predictable template: What officials say, confused numbers, quoting politicians and other elite opinion shapers, and giving experts and analysts a field day. End of story. Wait for another.
No attempt at independent journalism. News, in the end, is little more than the spirited attempts of interested parties to create or control narratives using the media, or to reap political bonga points by wielding some incidents to whip opponents.
Such reporting does not inspire public confidence. The media becomes merely a conveyor-belt of what people say, and not a reliable, tireless seeker and teller of the Truth.
What, honestly, is the point of watching the news on TV, reading the papers, or tuning in to your favourite radio, if all you will get are assorted opinions about critical matters of public interest? You have to decide for yourself where the Truth lies.
What do journalists independently know, beyond the competing claims and opinions of those involved? This question is usually never answered.
A news crew doing a special report on banditry in the North Rift would bring you voices of the victims, officials, and experts. And decontexualised narrations by the reporter.
What exactly happened in Northlands? Or the alleged police raid at the home of former Interior CS Fred Matiang’i? Or at Bomas during the presidential election last August?
Allegations are being thrown around about human organs harvesting and trafficking, and money laundering, in the Shakahola deaths (not “massacre”). Are journalists investigating?
In January, we wrote here that, “If every newsroom aimed to do just one eyebrow-raising exclusive each week, and this is entirely possible, the media’s decisive impact on public life would be felt within months and the ebbing public confidence would sweep back with full force.”
Great journalism goes beyond chasing headlines for the day. There’s the long view of journalism.
And the powers we are supposed to hold to account; the thieves, goons, and murderers we are meant to relentlessly pursue; know this: Wait for a few days and, sure enough, media interest in an issue would peter out. And then it’s business as usual. The cycle repeats itself ad infinitum.
After the execution of Alireza Akbari, the New York Times went to work. And scooped a world exclusive.
See you next week!
