According to the Code of Conduct and Practice of Journalism in Kenya, accuracy and fairness can be achieved by adhering to five principles. To begin with the code suggests that the fundamental objective of a journalist is to write a fair, accurate and unbiased story on matters of public interest. It also suggests that all sides of the story should be reported and it proposes to journalists to obtain comments from anyone who is mentioned in an unfavourable context.
A critical examination of journalism in Kenya will easily reveal that this noble objective of the code is constantly violated by the Kenyan media.
The ethic of accuracy is obviously closely entwined with the ethic of fairness because the two are significantly involved in telling the story in as complete a form as possible. The drama and openness surrounding journalistic activities have always had a romantic fascination for newspaper readers, television viewers and radio listeners upon whom high circulation figures and ratings depend. But most Kenyans, however, are not aware that good journalism includes not only the gathering of accurate information but also giving a chance to those who are portrayed unfairly to state their cases in order to make the final story as fairly accurate as it is absolutely possible.
It will therefore always remain obscure and stunningly shocking that journalism in Kenya is mysteriously infested with what is commonly referred to as “the gutter”, but which I prefer to call “the alternative” press which harbour a deliberate and impudent crack to keep vital facts of stories they publish secret from their readers. Yet, however extreme and shocking their behaviour may be, it reflects the seriousness of unethical journalism in Kenya.
Secondly this part of the code suggests that whenever an inaccurate , misleading or distorted story is recognized after it has been published or broadcast, it should be corrected promptly and that corrections should present the correct information and should not restate the error except when clarity demands.
By being big enough to accept errors and initiate correction, journalists, and particularly editors, prove that they are truly professionals of high moral character and resolution. They therefore make a deliberate effort not to tolerate inclusion in their stories falsities which offend the test of truth and honesty in purpose, or which distorts facts. Real professional editors willingly accept full responsibility for every word printed or broadcast by media houses they lead.
Good journalism demands that one corrects all the errors passed to the public long before threats for legal action are made by lawyers. An editor who insists that every story he or she publishes is the truth and needs not be corrected is a pretty low-down character altogether. The trouble is that Kenya is not short of them. This is evidenced by the number of libel cases pending in our courts.
Thirdly the code recommends that an apology should be published or broadcast whenever appropriate. The appropriateness of publishing or broadcasting an apology is seen by many media houses as a domestic matter. Most editors dread any confrontation with people who demand apologies from newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations. More often than not they leave that matter in the hands of their lawyers to “coordinate” the language that will be used in the apology. I know The Standard has a permanent lawyer, housed under the same roof with journalists, who provides legal advice on such matters as appropriateness of apologies. Kenya is full of lawyers who can mount vigorous and successful demands for apologies from media houses with obvious ulterior motives. Sometimes they go as far as demanding to be the sole persons who draft the language of the apologies which very often can be extremely demeaning to media houses. Whereas it is always a sign of professional maturity to agree to apologise for an error inadvertently made, the placement and the language of the apology can be quite tricky. Hence the need for the advice of a legal mind.
Fourthly the code recommends that when stories fall short on accuracy and fairness, they should not be published. Journalists, the code says, while free to be partisan, should distinguish clearly in their reports between comment, conjecture and facts. Who should be responsible for evaluating the accuracy and fairness of stories before they are published or broadcast? The answer to that question is every journalist. Reporters should be no less concerned with facts and fairness of all stories they write than the subs who edit them. Most media houses can claim their journalists are doing this job quite competently. Yet we all know there is no other product which exposes itself so thoroughly and continually to public criticism as news that is not accurate and fair. Given the kind of vibrancy that exists in the media in Kenya it is only fair to conclude that journalists and their editors operate in glass houses giving all the right thinking members of our various communities ample opportunities to examine the accuracy and sincerity of their work.
This they regularly do by comparing news content and presentation of different newspapers, radio and television broadcasts. Whenever readers, viewers and listeners detect any falsehood in news the reputation of media houses from which the false news originate are invariably impaired. Well trained journalists regard these incidents as great misfortune and really wish the false news items never saw the light of the day. Though Kenya journalists always emphatically reject the insinuation that they often deliberately indulge in misrepresentation of facts, the code does not deny them the right to be partisan. What readers, viewers and listeners have a problem with in Kenyan journalism is the pretence of being fair and accurate when their stories are frequently tendentious and full of personal opinion and partisan support.
Looking at Kenya’s weekend newspapers easily reveals that we are not short of writers of commentaries and opinion pieces. One gets the same impression by listening to morning radio broadcasts and watching Dr. P.L.O. Lumumba’s TV programme on KTN. It goes without saying that in the Alternative Media in Kenya are to be found many stories based of conjecture rather than facts. In this section of the Kenyan media are also to be found many comments presented to the readers as hard news stories.
Lastly this part of the code suggests that in general, provocative and alarming headlines should be avoided .It says headlines must reflect and justify the matter printed under them. Headings containing allegations made in statements, it suggests, should either identify the body or the source making them or at least carry quotations marks.
The best example of a headline that violates the requirements of that code was published in Volume Three , Number 43 of June 27th 2005 issue of The Independent whose banner front page headline screamed “ Koreans Chase Jinnis, Snakes out of State House” . The kicker of the story says: “The Jinnis installed by Moi refuse to leave Harambee House hence Kibaki’s refusal to go there.”
Though the headline talks of Jinnis at State House the stunning story of unbelievable fiction that goes on at Harambee House is told in the first two paragraphs: “The office of the President, which is perched on the highest floor of Harambee House, might be the highest office in the land but it is unoccupied. This is because the man who is supposed to be in it, President Stanley Emilio Mwai Kibaki, has never set foot in that office and he is not planning to go there soon. Kibaki cannot step into the much-talked about Office of the President, The Independent can reveal. When he was sworn in as President of the Republic of Kenya in December 2002, Kibaki was in a wheel chair. As such in a bid to facilitate the new President’s movement in and out of Harambee House, a concrete ramp was built by the Ministry of Works to accommodate the wheel chair. In spite of that, Kibaki never stepped into his office.”
Of course neither Moi nor Kibaki complained about the story simply because the more one reads the story the less believable it becomes. It is a typical case of conjecture and sensational headlines that cannot be substantiated by the story printed under them.
A critical examination of journalism in Kenya will easily reveal that this noble objective of the code is constantly violated by the Kenyan media.
The ethic of accuracy is obviously closely entwined with the ethic of fairness because the two are significantly involved in telling the story in as complete a form as possible. The drama and openness surrounding journalistic activities have always had a romantic fascination for newspaper readers, television viewers and radio listeners upon whom high circulation figures and ratings depend. But most Kenyans, however, are not aware that good journalism includes not only the gathering of accurate information but also giving a chance to those who are portrayed unfairly to state their cases in order to make the final story as fairly accurate as it is absolutely possible.
It will therefore always remain obscure and stunningly shocking that journalism in Kenya is mysteriously infested with what is commonly referred to as “the gutter”, but which I prefer to call “the alternative” press which harbour a deliberate and impudent crack to keep vital facts of stories they publish secret from their readers. Yet, however extreme and shocking their behaviour may be, it reflects the seriousness of unethical journalism in Kenya.
Secondly this part of the code suggests that whenever an inaccurate , misleading or distorted story is recognized after it has been published or broadcast, it should be corrected promptly and that corrections should present the correct information and should not restate the error except when clarity demands.
By being big enough to accept errors and initiate correction, journalists, and particularly editors, prove that they are truly professionals of high moral character and resolution. They therefore make a deliberate effort not to tolerate inclusion in their stories falsities which offend the test of truth and honesty in purpose, or which distorts facts. Real professional editors willingly accept full responsibility for every word printed or broadcast by media houses they lead.
Good journalism demands that one corrects all the errors passed to the public long before threats for legal action are made by lawyers. An editor who insists that every story he or she publishes is the truth and needs not be corrected is a pretty low-down character altogether. The trouble is that Kenya is not short of them. This is evidenced by the number of libel cases pending in our courts.
Thirdly the code recommends that an apology should be published or broadcast whenever appropriate. The appropriateness of publishing or broadcasting an apology is seen by many media houses as a domestic matter. Most editors dread any confrontation with people who demand apologies from newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations. More often than not they leave that matter in the hands of their lawyers to “coordinate” the language that will be used in the apology. I know The Standard has a permanent lawyer, housed under the same roof with journalists, who provides legal advice on such matters as appropriateness of apologies. Kenya is full of lawyers who can mount vigorous and successful demands for apologies from media houses with obvious ulterior motives. Sometimes they go as far as demanding to be the sole persons who draft the language of the apologies which very often can be extremely demeaning to media houses. Whereas it is always a sign of professional maturity to agree to apologise for an error inadvertently made, the placement and the language of the apology can be quite tricky. Hence the need for the advice of a legal mind.
Fourthly the code recommends that when stories fall short on accuracy and fairness, they should not be published. Journalists, the code says, while free to be partisan, should distinguish clearly in their reports between comment, conjecture and facts. Who should be responsible for evaluating the accuracy and fairness of stories before they are published or broadcast? The answer to that question is every journalist. Reporters should be no less concerned with facts and fairness of all stories they write than the subs who edit them. Most media houses can claim their journalists are doing this job quite competently. Yet we all know there is no other product which exposes itself so thoroughly and continually to public criticism as news that is not accurate and fair. Given the kind of vibrancy that exists in the media in Kenya it is only fair to conclude that journalists and their editors operate in glass houses giving all the right thinking members of our various communities ample opportunities to examine the accuracy and sincerity of their work.
This they regularly do by comparing news content and presentation of different newspapers, radio and television broadcasts. Whenever readers, viewers and listeners detect any falsehood in news the reputation of media houses from which the false news originate are invariably impaired. Well trained journalists regard these incidents as great misfortune and really wish the false news items never saw the light of the day. Though Kenya journalists always emphatically reject the insinuation that they often deliberately indulge in misrepresentation of facts, the code does not deny them the right to be partisan. What readers, viewers and listeners have a problem with in Kenyan journalism is the pretence of being fair and accurate when their stories are frequently tendentious and full of personal opinion and partisan support.
Looking at Kenya’s weekend newspapers easily reveals that we are not short of writers of commentaries and opinion pieces. One gets the same impression by listening to morning radio broadcasts and watching Dr. P.L.O. Lumumba’s TV programme on KTN. It goes without saying that in the Alternative Media in Kenya are to be found many stories based of conjecture rather than facts. In this section of the Kenyan media are also to be found many comments presented to the readers as hard news stories.
Lastly this part of the code suggests that in general, provocative and alarming headlines should be avoided .It says headlines must reflect and justify the matter printed under them. Headings containing allegations made in statements, it suggests, should either identify the body or the source making them or at least carry quotations marks.
The best example of a headline that violates the requirements of that code was published in Volume Three , Number 43 of June 27th 2005 issue of The Independent whose banner front page headline screamed “ Koreans Chase Jinnis, Snakes out of State House” . The kicker of the story says: “The Jinnis installed by Moi refuse to leave Harambee House hence Kibaki’s refusal to go there.”
Though the headline talks of Jinnis at State House the stunning story of unbelievable fiction that goes on at Harambee House is told in the first two paragraphs: “The office of the President, which is perched on the highest floor of Harambee House, might be the highest office in the land but it is unoccupied. This is because the man who is supposed to be in it, President Stanley Emilio Mwai Kibaki, has never set foot in that office and he is not planning to go there soon. Kibaki cannot step into the much-talked about Office of the President, The Independent can reveal. When he was sworn in as President of the Republic of Kenya in December 2002, Kibaki was in a wheel chair. As such in a bid to facilitate the new President’s movement in and out of Harambee House, a concrete ramp was built by the Ministry of Works to accommodate the wheel chair. In spite of that, Kibaki never stepped into his office.”
Of course neither Moi nor Kibaki complained about the story simply because the more one reads the story the less believable it becomes. It is a typical case of conjecture and sensational headlines that cannot be substantiated by the story printed under them.
1 comment:
Wishes to commend Mr Kadhi for explaining our code of conduct and practice of journalism; this is definitely great works and i will refer my journalism students at Mombasa Polytechnic University College to this blog.
Miano Kihu
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