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Reality of Kenyan journalism

Written by Rebecca Wanjiku

Friday, 10 August 2007

Patrick Kariuki Muiruri is known for many things, the fiery Gatundu North legislator has been implicated in tea and coffee wars in his area, does not shy away from confrontation and most of all, 'tells it as it is.'

So, when PK said how poor journalists are, and that they survive on hand outs, he found some support from some parliamentary reporters. "It's the truth and people don't like admitting the reality, for once, I support PK," said one parliamentary reporter.

I decided to engage the journalist because it is the only way to know the way they feel. After all, it can be assumed PK was making reference to journalists based on his experience with them. Journalists in Kenya are heavily vilified for being lazy, poorly read and surviving on hand outs, and the saddest thing is that this is true.

Sample this, a correspondent from the Nation or Standard earns a retainer of shs 15,000 and the rest is calculated on contributions. The possibility of making shs 30,000 a month is close to a dream for most of them. What correspondents earn from two papers is equivalent to the earnings of most staffers at the People Daily and Kenya Times that is- shs 30,000.

This means that if the journalist has a family, they can only live in Kayole, Mathare North or Kawangware. There is nothing wrong in staying in these areas but bear in mind that the same criminals you expect the journalists to write about rule these areas. So, there sets in greed, we all want to live beyond our means. But who is to blame, the journalists or the media owners who pay poorly? The other reason is that even as journalists mix with the movers and shakers of the economy, some of them can only buy beer, not food. The politicians and businessmen exploit the poverty loophole to use the journalists in their dirty games.

Journalists it must be said are also guilty of agreeing to be used but is this out of neccesity? For instance, journalists in rural areas have no official vehicles, and are compelled to use politicians' cars to attend political functions. If not the politicians' cars, they use the DC or DO's car. How do you expect a journalist who was given a ride from Mathioya to somewhere in its interior to report negativelyon the very people giving her a ride?

There was this story of how some Coastal legislator kicked out a journalist from his vehicle because he had dared to contradict him. Unfortunately, the journalists courage resulted in his being left in the middle of the forest. So yes, journalists and their servility to wealth and power may be a shame, but is that not the story of our entire society?

That is why it borders on immorality for a Kenyan journalists based abroad on their high horses to castigate Kenyan journalism for its corruption (one actually did, and his comment was ill informed.) The conditions here at home are entirely different, they are tough. Just like that civil servant who has to withstand living in Ruai , and who is expected to report to work at 8 am; journalists have their excesses and vices.

By the way, you will be shocked that when it comes to handouts, the journalists in Nation and Standard get larger amounts because their newspapers are more widely read and therefore more influential. The other journalists get lesser handouts. We can lie to each other about journalism and single it out as the most corrupt profession but it is a reflection of the state of our society. And as such there are very honest journalists who I know will not take your handout, it doesn't matter what the source is.

Rebecca Wanjiku
		About the author:
		Rebecca Wanjiku is a Kenyan journalist and entrpreneur. She writes on technology and media issues and publishes the BeckyIT blog.

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Eye-Opener
written by Kimani S. Njoroge , August 11, 2007

I had never envisioned this. Thanks for the insight. Is it easy to move from low-paying papers to better paying ones? We have seen it happen in FM and TV stations, but less in print media. Why?

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Journalism is about credibilit
written by Man R , August 12, 2007

I symphathize with the situation at home, obviously media house owners need to do more to ensure reporters are not compromised, but journalists must be credible. If is a journalist is forced to seek handouts as a means of survival, I think it's time to look for another profession. There is no justification for peddling lies in the media in exchange of personal gains. None whatsoever. Yes, I'm a Kenyan journalist based abroad and I refuse to accept your explanation for the corruption in the Kenyan media. Media houses should crack down on corrupt reporters and fire them all. We don't need papers spreading lies.

Journalists must stand for the truth no matter what. We're in a business selling one major product--credibility.

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written by Ugas , August 12, 2007

Sadly,This is true for most every other businesseses in Kenya

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eqp
written by yumbuse , August 13, 2007

It is not only journalists who are poorly paid hence becoming easy prey for the monster known as corruption, teachers, cops,low level civil servants etc are also in the same position.This is why we need gova to step in and set salary guidelins that is reflective of dignified living standards for all kenyans.

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written by Marangu , August 13, 2007

Bec:
Nice piece on the realities in Kenya. The moment we choose to see issues in isolation of the context that they occur, we make a big mistake. What makes the Journalists special, from say the cops, teachers, even medicos. I live overseas, but I have lived in Kenya, I have faced the harsh realities of the place and know how difficult it is to have the basics expected of a professional when remuneration is so pathetic.
Strange thing is many that rave and rant here have largely led sheltered lives and may not comprehend the life of a Kenyan Journalist. This is in no way meant to condone corruption, journalists are not socialized in some place elsewhere, they are part of what happens in Kenya.
Man R:
I largely agree with your sentiments here and elsewhere, I have a problem when you say Journalists who cannot be corrupt free should move elsewhere.... just where is the question. As a Journalist, you should be advocating for a corruption free Kenya.

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Marangu
written by Man R , August 13, 2007

I was born and raised in Kenya so I know too well the harsh realities of Kenya. But it sucks bigtime that the people entrusted to watch over our corrupt government on behalf of the people are even more corrupt. Where is Kenya headed to if we cannot trust the cops to protect us, we cannot trust our politicians not to steal our tax money; we cannot trust the priests and pastors to keep off illicit behavior; and we cannot trust journalists to expose the evil in the society?

You also missed my point, I never said corrupt journalists should move with their corruption to another profession, I said if they cannot sustain themselves with the money they're earning from the job, instead of prostituting themselves and the integrity of the profession to the highest bidder (sometimes just any bidder) they should quit and find another profession. Please don't make a habit of taking my statements out of context like that in future.

Like I've said before, journalism is a profession of passion. We don't become journalist to make riches and compete with Bill Gates, we become journalists to provide our consumers with credible information relevant to their lives.

There is no room for corruption in journalism. Period.

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Pull The Other One
written by Pennyless Priest , August 14, 2007

Man R!! I wish we were all blessed with your special brand of passion and idealism. As others above have pointed out it is folly to take any aspect of corruption and view it in isolation.

I find your suggestion that..."if you aren't happy in your job, just switch professions..." to be so unrealistic....professions are not like T shirts.

I feel you though when you ask who we are to trust if we cannot trust Cops, Politicians, Priests or Journalists...you are moving into the light, my son. We cannot trust anyone anymore: Not wife nor husband; brother nor sister...

....WE ARE ON OUR OWN

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idealism
written by bex , August 14, 2007

i try as much to refrain from personal attacks because in my experience, i have seen and heard from people who are quick to throw the first stone.

but i must support the pennyless priest and wonder, why is Man R abroad, he should be practicing here and show us the way.

in my articles, i always try to paint the picture, a chance for people to see that journalists are part of the society, not from some other place.

therefore, they may be a reflection of the larger society. and for you to expect them to be beyond reproach, the system must improve.

for instance, i once invited PS Ndemo to a function, albeit on short notice. he did the letter saying he wont make it but for two days the letter had not been received.

he explained to me how the system is, he depends on a messanger who lives in Ruai and has to leave at 5 on the dot to catch the train, he had done the letter late in the evening.

he explained that with the salary, the messanger cant afford to stay in umoja. and i understood, we are all part of a system.

the story digresses abit but am sure he told me this coz in the past i had criticised his office for laxity, and with the explanation, i understood.

back to corruption, the system has to improve, journalists have to be better paid, and the whole society must not condone corruption.

this evolution, will be a reflection of society. not that journalists will create their own small society.

it may be my mumble jumble psycho bubble....
but honestly, Man R, come back home, practice righteous journalism and show the way.
its not you alone, all other journalists building other economies, come back home, the reality awaits.

thats my pesa nane opinion...

beckyit.blogspot.com

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written by vivid , August 15, 2007

Freedom is not something you need to find out there somewhere. You don't have to accept the condition you're in. It is silly and irrational to fragment our existence into so many ever changing pieces and keep judging our freedom against any one. It's like being a compulsive gambler who grabs one more piece – maybe the one labeled "new job at _" or "new car like _ " or "new country at _" – thinking, "this is the lucky one that'll set me free alleluhya!" . Then, you find yourself sitting, thinking. Sad. Something isn't right somewhere in your life. Take your pick. That last fragment seems tiny and even forgotten compared to this new problem. There's always a new problem. Unhappiness is a disease that can affect any person to high degrees no matter what their social or economic status is. The only reason you look at some famous or rich person and truly think they're better off than you is because you've turned that idea into another one of your pieces to run after. Then you see just how twisted our minds are when you then feel a little bit better when you hear that something bad has happened to that poster child. Of course, that may not even compare to how you feel when you've struggled and sacrificed so much and become one of those poster childs only to find yourself staring at a new piece that makes you even less happy than you were before. Is there a better way? There has to be, right? I'll leave whether there's a better way to some other discussion because reality is deeper than all of this, but for bex's article let's think of at least one practical solution.

To me, the journalism problem is also a business opportunity. Build that new media house. Become the Kenyan Rupert Murdoch. Pay the fair salaries to journalists. Create value and think creatively. If you give good things good things will come back. Churchill once said, "We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give". Figure out how to get the word out. If most people have easy access to the radio waves, then for God's sake get access to some channel and start a radio news service that's different from existing radio. You could even do it from that hovel you inhabit in God knows where but your listeners don't have to know that! Or invent some new finangled sms newspaper. Headline: "Raila 4 u. Gr8 start 2 ODM". Don't just say it's already done – see if what's out there REALLY does the job right and do it right. If J.R.R. Tolkien can spend 14 years creating a whole new world complete with a new language and maps, surely you can spend a little time turning sms newspapers into a new art form!

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Bex and Pennyless Pastor
written by Man R , August 16, 2007

This is not a matter of me, one person, or Kenyan journalists abroad coming to Kenya and making a change, it's for you who are already in the system to start fighting to end this cancerous evil. You must put a system in place to weed out bad corrupt journalists if you want the profession to be respected. Establish a reporting system if you have to and make it hard for those people to demean and insult our profession. Remember we're a business dealing in credibility and once that's lost we might as well go home and sleep.

I say to you Bex and others, if I come to that system with my ideas, a bunch of corrupt journalists and their partners in crime will make me a target and nothing will change.

MONEY
We must accept that the fact that journalism doesn't pay that much because it's a profession of passion. But once you sign up to be a journalist you must uphold the ethics. That's what makes our profession unique and respected. Even in America journalists don't get paid that much at the beginning levels but they make do with the little they get and rise with time. I know it's unfair to compare Kenya and U.S. but the point I'm trying to make here is journalists should not be motivated by riches and money but the will to work for the people.

We should always work toward doing the right thing, not because there is hell to pay if we do otherwise, but because we believe in the nobility of our work to the society.

I know you cannot change a profession "like a T-shirt," but why stay in a profession that forces you to resort to criminal activities to subsidize your livelihood. My philosophy is journalists who feel compelled to seek corrupt means to make it in life are just a bunch of greedy people who cannot be content even is their salaries were to triple.

Look at it this way, by playing to the whims of one politician, the corrupt journalists causes harm to millions of Kenyans who rely on them to present the truth. Such a trade-off is unacceptable and we should not even attempt to rationalize it.

It's a stretch to call my views righteous, I think they're pretty standard views that many of us share.

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written by Rose , August 16, 2007

Being a journalist student i find that in Kenya, journalism is something that is undermined. Journalists are forced to stoop to the levels of beggars. The reality is that there is a boom of media in Kenya howver to become a distinct journalist, you have to work very hard, and climb the ladder to success. The Kenyan government at times likes to exploit the media (an example is the propsed media bill).

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written by Stephen Wanyama , August 16, 2007

Vivid,
We are talking about a societal phenomenon here, why would you think that higher salaries or new entities would slay the corruption dragons? The idea of a successful media entrepreneur who pays well and eschews corruption would be killed by his loneliness. Change the system, save the industry.

Man R,
Cosy plane you live on, there is very little passion to modern careers. Children do not eat integrity. We can address the problem of corruption without pretending that our journalists are in any way supposed to be different than the rest of the Kenyan species.

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written by Marangu , August 16, 2007

Man R:
I admire your world, with respect, what they teach in class is fantastic, in any profession including journalism, untill you walk out and deal with the real world. We can all aspire to the ideals you talk about, but in real world (including the US) you have cheats, con artists, corrupt, even jailbirds accross the professions. Kenya is no different. We can all work to raise the standard, not just journalists.

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Guys
written by Man R , August 17, 2007

Just to set the records straight, I'm not talking about my expectations for journalists from a classroom desk. I have several years of professional experience.

If Kenyan media houses acted decisively the way CNN acted on Jeff Koinange's blunders, corruption in the media would be in check by now. But what I'm seeing here is people making excuses for corrupt journalists.

Mr. Wanyama has gone to the point of making absolute statements in the name of opinion-- "there is very little passion to modern careers," Is that a fact? ... and invoking some (un)wise saying "children do not eat integrity," (sad) And that's the problem with Kenya. We trash virtues and encourage or vices overtly or covertly. Why can't we try to have or children eat with integrity?

And here's the clincher for Mr. Wanyama, "We can address the problem of corruption without pretending that our journalists are in any way supposed to be different than the rest of the Kenyan species."

I would have agreed with these assertions had I not learned, through life and training, how to separate between right and wrong. It's not strange to expect members to follow the ethics of their profession external factors notwithstanding. In fact that's the normal thing to do. Look, corruption is wrong and just because the society is doing it does not mean we should follow blindly.

We should adopt a zero-tolerance approach toward corruption in journalism... It affects us all.

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