By Dex Mumo
The Code of Conduct for the Practice of Journalism in Kenya directs journalists on how to report sensitive scenes, especially those revolving around individuals in grief, trauma or shock. “In cases involving personal grief or shock, inquiries shall be made with sensitivity and discretion.” The same way, filming victims at their most vulnerable time is unethical. Come on, what is the public interest in bereaved family members weeping and writhing in the agony of loss?
Take for instance Nation Media Group reporter Margaret Kimathi who captured the congregation that attended the memorial service for the Endarasha Hillside Academy pupils who lost their lives in a fire tragedy in Nyeri. An NTV video clip shared on its official X account on September 26, 2024, showed just how emotional the event was.
The captioned, “Emotions run high as the bodies of 21 Hillside Endarasha Academy victims are paraded at Mweiga Stadium for a memorial service,” the clip was watched by many Kenyans who shared the grief.
Reacting on X platform, @farhiyaabass posted: “I have shed tears. Can’t even imagine how much pain they are going through. May Allah ease their hearts.” Another reader @omar_dakane reacted: “That is sadder than sad, to see parents who lost their kids like this. It should never have happened and hopefully we learn from it.”
However, as much as the videographer aimed to inform, how she executed the reporting is questionable. The clip was too sensitive to watch given that most of the individuals being filmed were either crying or on the verge of collapsing. The videographer even went to an extent of zooming in on the grieving families in their raw emotions.
Other critics were sensitive to the fact that this was a grieving moment for the families concerned, and the media should have done better by being more respectful to their feelings. According to them, the videographer showed a lack of compassion.
For instance, @Markkipr0n0 was quick to correct: “But you don’t need to zoom in on them, by the way. Read the room.” Another reader @MinJays reasoned: “This is too hard to watch. They should be given their privacy to mourn their loved ones. Filming them is also not in good taste.”
As a media observer, I will agree with the few voices of reason. While tragedy and suffering might be part of legitimate journalistic territory, insensitivity to the victims should not. The Endarasha Hillside Academy fire trended for several weeks, with a lot of controversies surrounding it.
The affected families were probably tired, if you ask me, of continuous media coverage that deepened their wounds more than it healed. The memorial service conducted in Nyeri County gave the families an opportunity to say goodbye to their lost children. It is at this instance that the media should have done better to give them privacy, not as journalists, but as human beings who empathise with a neighbour in grief.
