Small matter, big shame

Small matter, big shame

“Journalists have certain attention to details. They took out their Smartphones and tried to shoot a photo of my embarrassing feet. Not that my feet smelled or the socks were torn.

BY MUSYOKA NGUI

musyokangui02@gmail.com

Last Tuesday I reported to the work with a dissimilar pair of socks. I went about my duties as usual. Since the offices were undergoing renovation my colleagues and I chose to sit outside the office with our laptops and edited our work form there before sending it to the chief editor.

When I was done with my two daily pieces, I took out the current book I am reading The Trouble With Nigeria by Chinua Achebe. I crossed my legs before being fatigued and finally chose to rest by right leg on my left knee, striking a posture that revealed to other journalists sitting around me that I wore a white sock on the left foot and a blue one on the right. 

Journalists have certain attention to details. They took out their Smartphones and tried to shoot a photo of my embarrassing feet. Not that my feet smelled or the socks were torn. Far from it. I just woke up and hurriedly wore them. You see on the upper parts both of the socks have stripes which caught my eyes and assured me that they are like pair. They did not buy my argument despite demonstrating to them that it was not a deliberate move to seek attention. It was a mistake, a small mistake that caused big shame.

Luckily, trust men to run to the rescue of their type in need. My colleague, Abel, rubbished those threatening to upload my feet photos on the social media by telling them off that even Nairobi Governor Dr. Evans Kidero was spotted on TV in torn socks. Mind you mine were not torn even. The good old Minister for Transport John Michuki (God bless his soul), too was caught on camera having similar predicament as Kidero.

People start asking where the wives and girlfriends of such men were when the men wore dissimilar socks. In my case I was asked where my girlfriend was. Instantly, the lady journalists around went green with envy as if I had dashed their expectations. Anyway, I exonerated my girl the blame because we have not moved in yet and even if we had, I will be the one to blame since I dress my feet.

It is unfair to apportion blame on women when men have wardrobe malfunctions. They are human beings after all and they are not expected to be all seeing. As for us men, we need to learn to pair our socks once we clean them so that we do not risk embarrassing ourselves and our dear ones when caught.

I do not think that it is even right for a man to be giving his spouse underwears to wash. You know they are laden with sweat, dust and germs. Does it amount to slavery when a man wears boxers or a pair of socks and hands them to his lady to wash? Come on, such small pieces of clothes can be washed in the bathroom passively as you clean your body.

Then those living with smelly feet please spare the public the oduor by not removing your shoes in public spaces. Socks are so cheap. Do not recycle them. Wearing one pair once will promote hygiene and spare your significant other the reprimanding disapproval-as if she was the one wearing them- the world cannot get more unfair. Better still, seek medical attention. Trust me, it is treatable.

The demanding nature of media business

The demanding nature of media business

BY MUSYOKA NGUI

 “Journalism is a most latter day hunting and gathering and there is no room for those who cannot shoot moving targets. Only excellence. If you are mediocre, a joker or plain quack, ship out.

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orking in the media world is not for the faint hearted. It takes as strong will and thinking ahead.

One has to do at least two newsworthy stories and submit them before the deadline. We have dry days. These are the bad days when nothing worth reporting happens. On the other hand, there are days when there are many story leads to follow thus we get spoilt for choices. In any case, the editor wants you to file a story and file it the best way you know how.

Reporting at work must be punctual. There are no excuses that there was a traffic jam on the road or you woke up late. Tell that to the birds because no one will believe you.  Sometime you will attend long events which require you to summarize them to a 400 word article or a 60 second video.

One way of getting ahead of the story is researching in advance. Do you homework and know when the event will begin, who will speak, where and when the event will end. Documents such as event programmes come in handy as they stipulate the times and activities to be undertaken. Get one event programme booklet from the emcee.

          Have go- to sources to inform you reliably. This can be a clerk, secretary, a personal assistant or a sweeper to tip you off when to get plugged in.

Having your own tools of trade rather than the company’s will help unless there is a rule against such. Acquire a nice personal computer, a smart phone or a camera so that whenever you are you can work without necessarily going to the studio. Prove to the assignment editor that you can do the story and next time you will be assigned even more lucrative tasks thanks to the trust and confidence you will have earned from your boss.

Be thorough. Cross check facts, hear the other angle that has been ignored by colleagues, competitors and pursue it. That way you will carve an edge out of the fierce competition that is the media business.

Keep your diary updated. Be always on the know about events, occurrences and impromptu moments. Remember a moment is perishable. Capitalize on the exclusivity of you being the only person to break a major story. Do it so well that the rest of the reporters will be playing catch up or copying your established narrative.

Team work is very vital in journalism. Communicate well with colleagues and the bosses. Appreciate them when they do you a favour. It may be editing your piece, translating or just keeping you company as you finish off the assignment. Return the favour by helping them too. It may be that colleague who has not yet mastered the QWERTY keyboard and keeps on darting eyes to locate the letters. Help them cope with the pressure.

            Do not mind who gets the credit as long as you do your part in the large production process. The audiences and advertisers will reward you handsomely by buying your works. By that time you will be laughing all the way to the bank. A true blessing borne out of your hard work and determination.

             I normally say that journalism is a most latter day hunting and gathering and there is no room for those who cannot shoot moving targets. Only excellence. If you are mediocre, a joker or plain quack, ship out. Your lack of passion will show and sooner or later you will be fired. But if your blood is media positive, welcome home.

 The writer is a student of Bachelors of Arts Degree in Communication and Media at Chuka University and an intern at KNA Kitui Bureau. He blogs at musyokangui.blogspot.com

Email your thoughts to musyokangui02@gmail.com

Al Jazeera journalists jailed for doing their work

Al Jazeera journalists jailed for doing their work

  Egypt has effectively called to itself sanctions because it has knowingly undermined democracy by silencing the basic freedoms and rights of journalists. Pro democracy supporters will continue to stand with the Al Jazeera for that is the right thing to do although it may not be the easy thing.

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n Monday Al Jazeera journalists were jailed by an Egyptian court for doing their work. After six months of incarceration and religious court appearances, one expected that the journalists will be relieved and be freed at last.

  The Egyptian judge handed down chilling guilty verdicts which vary between seven and ten years. The Al Jazeera journalists tried in absentia were jailed for a decade while their colleagues who attended the court proceedings got seven whole years.

  Peter Gretse and Mohamed Fahmy will languish in Tora jail while the Al Jazeera producer Baher Mohamed will serve 10 years “for having been found with spent bullet cartridge by authorities in his apartment.”

  The Egyptian court had charged the Al Jazeera journalists with spreading false information about Egypt and supporting the banned terrorist group Muslim Brotherhood. Al Jazeera continued to deny all the charges labeled against its reporters and called for their immediate release. The evidence adduced in court did not justify these claims.

  Thanks to Al Jazeera reputation of fearless reporting and unbiased coverage, the network has received worldwide support from governments, NGOs, CSOs and individuals. The UN, US and UK all rallied for the release of the innocent journalists. The BBC also highlighted the plight of the jailed journalists as did other international media but the message was never home.

  The jailing of Jazeera journalists sets a bad precedent for world press. We know that Egypt is a country on transition. Does this transition really have to consume the journalists who did public interest mandate to highlight the problems bedeviling the Pariah, sorry, Pharaoh State?

  Egypt has secured itself a dubious distinction of an oppressor of freedom of expression and that of the press. The Egyptian president Abdel Fattah El Sisi’s refusal to intervene in pardoning the jailed journalists points to a worse political standoff between Doha and Cairo. 

  Egypt has effectively called to itself sanctions because it has knowingly undermined democracy by silencing the basic freedoms and rights of journalists. Pro democracy supporters will continue to stand with the Al Jazeera for that is the right thing to do although it may not be the easy thing.

   On Twitter the battle continues: #FreeAJStaff, #AJTrial #journalismisnotacrime. For the Al Jazeera English, keep up the high professional journalism that you exhibit every single day.

Bringing sense to the airwaves

Bringing sense to the airwaves

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he timing of the morning shows is itself ill. As far as I am concerned, morning should be dedicated to information. Read the newspaper, check the diary, going to work and building the nation.

BY MUSYOKA NGUI

            Listening to local FM stations in the morning can be embarrassing to the family today. One wonders why the presenters flout basic professional codes of conduct and ethics. Then again where is the enforcer of the journalistic ethics? Is it a toothless dog that only barks without biting?

On May 20 2014 the Media Council of Kenya (MCK) released a report detailing the conduct of FM stations tilted Free Speech or Cheap Talk? The report unearthed shocking revelations about our local radio broadcasters.

Among other findings which the respondents voiced complaints include blatant disregard of professional ethics, poor quality of moderation by show hosts, inappropriate topical discussions and generally uncontrolled interaction from callers.

54 per cent of the respondents admitted obscenity existed because of uncontrolled interaction of callers. 58 per cent said that the discussions were not constructive, developmental or serious enough to inform policy issues in the society. 55 per cent of the respondents contend that the shows were loaded with racial, religious and ethnic stereotypes and were disrespectful of sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance and social status.

40 per cent were not aware that they could lodge complaints with the MCK touching on professionalism and ethics. The MCK is yet to do enough civic education to sensitize Kenyans on its mandate.

Instructively, most commercial radio stations dwelled on controversial topics bordering on emotions, sensationalism and borrowed heavily from entertainment, lifestyle and relationships.

That the morning radio hosts condone obscenity to run in their programmes shows the level of rot in our social moral fabric. Our society is decomposing. We have justified cheating as cool and okay. We think the only insane person in the traffic jam is the one who is following the traffic rules. The morally upright youth are shunned for practicing sexual purity. The result? High levels of corruption and sexually transmitted diseases. A society without a conscience. We don’t feel guilty of our sins. We are evil.

The rates of divorce are on the rise because the casual cheating has crossed over to the bedroom. Family units are falling apart, effectively demolishing the base of the Kenyan society. And morning radio show hosts are to blame for a large part of this moral decadence.

We have become a nation of liars. We are fake. Our religious leaders have not helped much. They occasionally get caught pants down with the flock in very compromising positions. Remember the Embu case? Sure, none of us is holier than thou but we should have a standard. In our case, anything goes. That is our bane; mediocrity.

Constitutionally, no one should be discriminated but the morning shows are loaded with innuendoes of segmenting our society tribally, religiously and regionally. Is the media making us hate each other? Is it time we scrap the morning shows?

The timing of the morning shows is itself ill. As far as I am concerned, morning should be dedicated to information. Read the newspaper, check the diary, go to work and build the nation. Then after hours you can come home and have entertainment. Preferably, after 10pm the breakfast type conversation can be unleashed to couples who at such time need intimate atmosphere and light humor to wind down day’s stress and fatigue.

But tell me why on earth do the radio stations torment little children and their shy parents with sex talk as they go to school and work. How the hell are your previous night’s sexual escapades going to solve the traffic snarl ups the kids and parents get caught up in the morning?

Mark you 61 per cent of the respondents told MCK that the discussions influence listeners’ general perceptions and thinking. This shows the media is very powerful-especially the radio which has thus far the highest level of penetration in the society.  The radio broadcasters are abusing the power they wield.

The media should set agenda and inform discussions in the society by giving accurate and reliable researched based information. But when the callers and show hosts resort to trivial and non- issues we have missed the point. The media lacks sense.  Journalists of morning shows do not make sense of the events that surround their work.

No wonder 78 per cent of the respondents believed that the callers were paid to express sensational sentiments and whip up emotive debates. Again, 48 per cent of the respondents said that some comments on talk shows were unverified and false. This calls into question the credibility of the FM radio stations. The fact that a paltry 24 per cent appreciated the discussion on morning radio breakfast shows that the radio lacked sense and reliable information to advice public and private policy issues. On that score, the traditional role of the mass media to inform is dealt a death blow.

Despite hiring quacks who masquerade as comedians, the radio managers have not managed to tickle the funny bone of the listener. Only 31 per cent of the respondents liked the radio humor.  The unprofessional quacks not only degrade the quality of radio journalism but also insult majority of Kenyan professional journalists who enjoy respect in Africa and the world at large.

It is important that the practicing journalists read and understand the professional codes of conduct for journalism and endeavor to uphold high moral ground for the society. The Fourth Estate is the conscience of the society. The mass media are light and the remaining moral compass of the society.

The writer is a student of Bachelors of Arts Degree in Communication and Media at Chuka University and an attaché at Kenya News Agency Kitui Bureau. He blogs at musyokangui.blogspot.com

Email your thoughts to musyokangui02@gmail.com