Radio is one form of media that help in disseminating news, informing the public, entertaining the public, teaching the public among other benefits to the society.
In Kenya there are major mainstream media in the country; Royal Media Services, Standard Group and Nation Media Group as well Radio Africa. This does not mean that there are no other media houses, and to break the doubtfulness, there are other numerous radio stations either community, business owned.
The trust society has for the radio is still eminent and cannot be avoided at all cost, in most of the Kenyan societies radio champions to be the best form of media as others follow.
The trust publics have for the radio is fading away due to some factors, it may be financial constraints, stiff competition and some sorts of professionalism interference but the political interference is the giant in the room.
Last week, police raided former Cabinet Secretary for Interior Security and Coordination, Dr. Fred Okeng’o Matiang’i. The raid spurred the public and on social media people gave different reactions. The following day, the government denied the claims that security people were sent at Dr. matiang’i’s home, the Government while addressing the distanced itself from the raid claiming that the police were not even of the government, this was said by the Inspector General Japhet Koome, also the Deputy President His Excellency Rigathi Geoffrey Gachagua alleged that those are hallucinations and that those are the past that are haunting the former Interior minister Dr. Fred Matiang’i.
Media Council of Kenya, through the press statement that was dated Saturday, 11th February 2023 demanded the mainstream media Royal Media Services, Nation Media Group and Standard Group to produce photos and videos that were captured during the statement to justify the scenario and help validating the event.
The letter signed by the Chief Executive Officer and Secretary to the Council was concerned by the refusal of the Media houses to provide actual footage or photos from the event yet they were there. “The Council is concerned by the refusal by the media to provide actual footage or photos from such a highly- publicized event yet they were at the scene.
This therefore bring critical complicated issues of whether the media seriously under the influence of some political bigwigs or not? How comes the media are linked to this by MCK negatively yet they were just to report to the public? Should we say that someone somewhere is using media to allegedly seek empathy, gain publicity or whatever the conundrum.
If it is real that they covered the event then the media houses which were aforementioned in the Press Statement should not be sluggish in providing the evidences required by the Media Council of Kenya of which they are answerable to.
If not taken into consideration, the media is going to lose the reputation they have had from the media, today being the World Radio Day the uprightness in the radio should be upheld in the daily routine of the media duties. The media houses that were mentioned in the memo as we are all aware owns radio stations.
The media should therefore at all-time be impartial without taking sides, the credibility that the public have for the should not be taken for granted also they should not destroy the pillar of trust that they have always had from the public.
The politicians should also be aware of the media roles and responsibilities and should shun from engaging the media in to their business, as we all know in the Kenyan political system that “ politics is a dirty game.”
#IMPARTIALITYTORADIO
#WORLDRADIOKE
@EAGLE’S EYE.
By GLEN DON.
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