Contemporary Threats: Media Freedom

Democratic rhetoric has unilaterally blamed absence of media freedom to government interference characteristic of African and oriental governments’ spewing vitriol that has determined discourse around media freedom.

However new threats to media freedom are in the offing as democracy spreads across the world.

I have come to like the BBC news channel in recent times due to its informative programming especially the coverage on Africa and the world as a whole. There was a time when we had our own Kenya Broadcasting Corporation. During the Moi regime and all the authoritarian use of the media to benefit myopic government ends, KBC lost all credibility as a media corporation and was more of a government mouthpiece akin to what we have as the government spokesman today.

Rightly it came under criticism and in an information age where there is a deluge of alternative media all and sundry migrated from KBC. It has since been plagued with losses, lagging behind and anecdotal affiliation to compromised media.

Why it did not transform into a respectable government funded media corporation like the BBC should be thought through if we believe in free press.

I say this because I believe the new threat to press freedom is over-commercialization, capital monopolies and political interest infringement.

When we opted away from government media we have since fallen to the corporate class who like the authoritarian governments driven by need to yoke people in propaganda, are driven by narrow minded self interest in profit. This has watered down journalism into sensational crowd pulling shenanigans mostly influenced by bigoted owner interests like the Ruppert Murdoch’s News of the world.  This is perhaps the biggest threat to journalism presently.

Plus with the rise of monopolies journalists are forced to play along editorial policies, some of which they do not even believe in. It closes out small entrants just like the autocratic bottlenecks used to.

To protect press freedom at this day and age we must look beyond the traditional threats into contemporary ones that threaten substance and importance of the fourth estate. We might have to go back to the traditional foe, the government corporation as a an alternative that is not driven by the myopia of profit but capable of churning out worthwhile journalism like the BBC and still leave the space open for alternative media. 

Twitter is as legit as a T-shirt

As an artist especially a screen printer I have received bizarre even gross requests by customers who want to customize their shirts and tell their message from T shirt prints.

Perhaps that has been why I have to date obsessed with reading T-shirts messages and I bet you’ll be chuckling at some of the message people brazenly display on their bosom and backs.

It is however undeniable that it commands sheer creativity and by God some out of the world messages that make me wish I could buy a shirt off someone’s back or better still retweet it on my own in a later time.

Perhaps that was why tweeter attracted me so. At first I used to think that 140 characters are too limiting even for those with lack of what to say. But to see how t shirt art is being innovatively run down my TL I think it’s exceptional.

Legitimacy of KOT by HumanIPoDebate (http://www.humanipo.com/news/5339/The-HumanIPO-Debate-Is-KOT-a-legitimate-organisation-with-worthy-motives) got me thinking of how connected tweeter and t shirt art is. The funny pics, the commercial messages, the crazy observations, inspirational quotes, biblical verses, protests and poetry, and the retweets.

Thinking about the lot of Kenyans wearing different shirts with different messages and sometimes e.g. during political campaigns and civil outrage wearing #someonetell t shirts as a legitimate voice of a people in one polity doesn’t sound odd to me at all even when offensive.

There need not be organized group of people to make #KOT legit but by virtue of millions of Kenyans expressing themselves on twitter its a legit group with concerns that are varied but discussed on a similar platform. The complexity of new technology lends people to judge such ‘unbridled’ ‘irresponsible at times’ or 'offensive’ tirade without really putting it in context that it is a traditional function to write what you feel whether on the T-shirt you are wearing or on a twitter update.

Surely a debate whether #kot is legit is irrelevant, it like asking whether all the people wearing funny messages on t shirts in Kenya are legit, they are.

Politics of fear

Renowned broadcast journalist Edward R. Murrow , ‘A nation of Sheep will breed a government of wolves’ is what transpired in America after 9/11 leading eventually to the hasty passing of the Patriot Act in 2001 that has drained all most all civil liberties Americans enjoyed.

Our own government seem to be catching up fast and Kibunja who is seeming less Mzalendo everyday has declared mentioning land issues or historical injustice tantamount to Kenya’s most feared crime, ‘hate speech and incitement.’ This is outright muzzling akin to satirical novels of African tyrants.

As I had argued earlier on this blog this year is an instrument of politics of fear, not good for free thought and will eventually be used for constitutional attrition against gains of freedom of expression.

It is understandable that Kenyans like post 9/11 Americans will not scrutinize the implications of these muzzling due to communally held concern for a repeat of 2007 post poll chaos.

However we also know government cannot be allowed to be jury and executioner, to determine content and context of speech and impose prohibition especially on a very sane issue around Kenyan politics. The brief demonstration by the lessening Mzalendo and Bitange Ndemo’s assault on Makau Mutua, show that they and only them interpret what constitutes inflaming statements. This they exercise with suspected political inclinations and vested interest. How sure are we that the new found power of politics of fear is not driving us back to the Nyayo days?

They are already armed to the teeth to send online users into silence, discrediting and persecution.

Notably though we understand that freedom of speech does not include the fabled ‘shouting fire fire in a theatre full of people’ risking causing a stampede. The advisory is a caution on tune of conversation around the sensitive issue of land. It should involve both divides knowing that both sides have direct and vested interest in the issues and rightly so, (Ruto comes from Rift Valley with notable concerns over land). And as the constitution gives us rights we must also understand they come with responsibilities and grave consequences for breaking the law.

We own the media!

It is that season again that politicians show just to what extent they own this country. They will barter whole communities to self-beneficial causes n flout money around like a carrot n we will mindlessly follow.

It is sad though that instruments that should try to shift us from this self-imposed shackles should be so compromised. It has been my argument that the media (my profession) has never been impartial in Kenya. And as I argued we should adopt American style of journalism where media houses are out-rightly leftist or right and let the reader decide from a perspective of knowing who controls the media house.

As it stands media in Kenya is controlled by owners, political interest and most at times tribal inkling of its owners. (With all campaigns against tribalism I wonder why media houses have not yet been put in perspective in terms of fueling the vice.)

In recent times we have seen an influx in media personality poaching which stands as a strategic move of increasing readership and viewership. However subject to the knowledge that media houses are tools in the hands of their owners in terms of editorial policy this is a sorry situation.

The media which is supposed to sell the gospel of non-tribalism is owned by tribal overlords. It not uncommon that they run opinion polls of very contentious natures, will announce results that will agitate electorates, will give a black out to issue based candidates and will pretend to be impartial.

The most troubling thing tough is that while the mass of Kenyans follow the media personalities to their new abode like wildebeests they are being set up for political slaughter. It’s a wonder that in this time of elections it has become inherent for media personalities poaching.

The bubble might pop, I know, when we realize as Kenyans we have been wooed to some media houses by personalities who will sell political propaganda (sometimes tribal) and a few with integrity like Mohamed Ali will have the balls to turn down the salary motivation and return to their niches refuting to be pawned.