The old idea that the medium is just as important as the message, or that the medium is the message, is still fairly acceptable. However, these days often one trumps the other. The world of social media is such that in some cases the medium demands such attention to itself that the message gets lost. Probably that is the message itself – the fact that the medium can appear to be more important than the message.
Yet, keen consumers of news appreciate the importance of both the medium and the message. Just like in a song, sometimes the combination of the voice and the accompanying instruments is what makes a particular song more memorable compared to others. The delivery of the content can draw the audiences’ attention or confuse them, leading to miscommunication or non-communication.
National newspapers circulate to a much wider audience than the sales figures would suggest. Today, these newspapers are read online in other parts of the world. So, the dailies become some sort Kenyan messengers locally and internationally. A foreigner who wishes to know the current affairs in Kenya – probably because they plan to tour or invest in the country – may check the newspapers for information. A Kenyan living abroad will most likely read the papers daily to know what is going on at home.
The dailies keep Kenyans informed about all spheres of life in many parts of the country. Newspapers report about politics and the economy; they carry death announcements just as they advertise tenders, recruitment to public and private offices; they report on new appointments to and dismissals from government offices; they write about regional, continental and global happenings etc. Newspapers – printed or online copies – are a great and often very convenient sources of information and education for millions of people.
However, reading newspapers these days can be very confusing. Or annoying. There seems to be a big problem out there in Kenyan newsrooms. It seems as if media houses don’t have copy editors. It appears as if the objectives of news editing are no longer necessary. Objectivity. What is that? Accuracy. For what? Checking facts. Who has the time?
Take the Shakahola story. Is the priest or pastor or preacher called Mackenzie or Makenzi? What is his full name? Does he actually own 800 (or 840) acres of land on which he has established his church? Did the individuals who lived on the so-called farm buy or were allocated the pieces of land on which they built their own houses? What does the media mean when it reports that Mackenzie led a cult? What is a cult? Is it illegal to belong to a cult in Kenya?
If the preacher denies having a church, why are the persons found on the land called ‘his followers?’ There are just too many unanswered questions relating to the Shakahola story to make it a classic example of how not to do journalism. The reporting of this story has breached so many of the principles of reporting, especially clarity, fairness and balance, accuracy etc. Kenyan journalists have hardly bothered to trace the origins of Mackenzie or how he became a ‘cult’ leader, if we accept the media tag?
The confusion in the reporting of the Shakahola story is frustrating. Much of the content of the story is really speculations, plagiarism of more speculation on social media, rumors from villagers, unverified yarns etc. In fact, the reader is left wondering whether the story is fiction or factual reporting. The anecdotes that often appear in the media, including the unconfirmed claims that Mackenzie and Pastor Ezekiel Odero of New Life Centre and Church or that Mackenzie advised his followers to fast and die, have muddled the story so much that despite the real images of tens of dead bodies being exhumed, one wonders if Mackenzie was involved with the deaths and burials of all the victims alone.
