Skip to main content

Kenyans pretend to be angry at CNN's violence depiction

CNN's appalling coverage of non-violent
grenade explosions far from Nairobi CBD
On Sunday, Kenyans were very angry. Apparently , one of them was watching CNN , one of those stations only available on satellite dishes that require a monthly subscription. The Kenyan then posted a picture of CNN's coverage of grenade attacks in down-town Nairobi. CNN , as a background of the news report, had an image of Kenya's flag, very big flame's and the word "violence" in Kenya.

CNN was been sensationalist, trying to leverage on the image been a region as one prone by violence. By doing so, CNN was obviously out to increase its rankings by exaggeration the gory news that keeps their viewers glued to the screen, shaking their heads in disbelief, as they take bites out of cholesterol filled burgers.

The Kenyans, whom most have not visited Country Bus Stations- where the attacks occurred  - in a long while, were quite upset.

You could see their anger as they took to their smartphones to tweet #SomeoneTellCNN , appending their messages to the hashtag. Their messages were in unsion, CNN should move from portraying the region as an uncivilised one where marauding, bare-chested dark natives roam the land armed with pangas.

After all, it is just this week that YouTube's most watched video, depicted Kony , a Ugandan, as another marauding native who has set his target lower, scaring the hell out of children trying to attend school in Central Africa. Kony has not been sighted in the East African country of Uganda since 2006, but Americans(wait, South or North Americans?) are requested to help the makers of the film find the Invisible children. The concerned saviours will also pass by South Sudan, where they had previously posed with weapons from the Sudan's People Liberation Army.

As the Kenyans kept tweeting their messages to CNN, they kept checking the Top Trending topics on Twitter, to see if they were shouting loud enough to top the world. It took a short while for them to trend, with someone quipping excitedly, "look, we are trending worldwide", with congratulatory messages being passed around. Another witty Kenyan on Twitter (KOT) quipped that Kenyan's were not only good in running, but good in trending - a great example that there was more than violence in this foresaken land of Africa, where diamonds have to be pulled our of blood and oil soaked earth.

The angry Kenyans on Twitter even forgot to check what their media houses were reporting. The same image on CNN filled the screens of our local TV stations during news at 9, only without the "VIOLENCE" part.  In fact, I can swear the flames on Kenyan TV were bigger.

Almost an hour after the attacks, Kenyan media stations were still grappling with footage of a scene less than 2 kilometres from the CBD. It's the same stations that will cover political events , hundreds of kilometres from the CBD, live.

One of the dailies even gave up with it's coverage, preferring to use Agence France-Presse (AFP) report of the blast in it's story. AFP, a news agency head quartered in France, was the first to have comprehensive coverage of grenade attacks 2 kilometres from Nairobi's CBD. Paris, the headquarters of France are 6,500 kilometres from Nairobi.

Kenyan media is often filled with absurd political news, with "blow by blow" coverage of politician's every step, including the names they call each other, and the latest reports from a rally held in an non-descript location in Kenya's interior. 

TV news has the same political coverage dominating it's news. 

The problem, you would think, is Kenya's media. After all, the media won't even touch Nairobi Law's Monthly report on Julie Wards's suspected murderer. 

The Daily Nation, a Kenyan Daily,  once gave politics a wide berth on it's headlines. Many people remember the issue, as so do the publishers. The Daily Nation received thousands of returns of the paper the following day, few people find the issue newsworthy. 

The day after the grenade attacks, The Daily Nation did not repeat the mistake. The grenade story fought for space with a story on Kenya's Prime Minister's comments that top politicians suspected of masterminding post election violence in the country should be behind bars.

A country where people suspected of masterminding violence 4 years ago have never been questioned , a country which keeps mum on a murder committed 24 years ago, a country that values political remarks and exchange on their paper headlines, is appalled by CNN's usage of "VIOLENCE" on a new report on a grenade attack. 

More bits on the country's and it's highly stellar press coverage, from multiple award winning journalists at the CNN sponsored African Journalist's awards, can be seen here http://www.eastafricapress.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=633:wanted-a-new-kbc-now&catid=69&Itemid=138

Oh, and only six people died in the grenade attack. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Beers in Kenya: A sober opinion

Note: This is a dated post and has since been mostly passed by events. SAB Miller beers including Castle and Peroni are no longer widely available in Kenya after their exist. Sirville Brewery was bought out by Brew Bistro before being permanently shut in a tax dispute. Kenya is a land of milk, honey, beaches and taxes. I have penned, or is typed, a newer post here .  Peroni - One of the best beers in Kenya. Did a taste of canned and bottled Italian, and bottled Tanzanian I like the tangy flavour and body in Tanzanian Peroni. The can is close. Heineken drinkers will like the Italian one.  I have had a short beer swigging stint in my life. It has however been long enough for me to share my opinion of Kenyan beer. Interestingly, over the course of sharing such opinions with other drunkards connoisseurs,  I have found that we all have different views as to what beer is the best, which one makes you too drunk, or which one gives one free, extra hangover for every ha...
Post a Comment
Read more

Nairobi's Top 4 Texas Brisket Places Reviewed and Ranked

Brisket on a bed of roast vegetables with barbecue sauce at Texas Brisket, Kikuyu  This review has been updated after a number of you suggested I try the brisket at County2County.  What's the best place to have Brisket in Nairobi? What's even brisket?  Brisket is one of the toughest cuts in a cow, from around the belly. It is so tough that it has to be smoked for about 16 hours to tenderise. But that there, is the catch.  12 to 16 hours later, it is the most flavourful and softest cut you will ever have. So full of flavour and so soft you can pick it apart with your fingers.  However, due to the long cooking time involved, only a few places offer brisket in Nairobi.  The best so far is Texas Brisket which is located within Kikuyu Railway station.  They do the meat for a proper 16 hours, and will usually have a fatty or non-fatty portion. The fatty portions are more tasty. A 500 gram serving goes for KSh. 900 and a 1 KG order comes with a serving of fre...
Post a Comment
Read more

How to Make Your Own Sparkling Water

Buying your own kit means you need to carbonate it in a fridge or freezer since Carbon Dioxide best dissolves at temperatures around zero.  I have been making my own sparkling water for about a month now.  It started with a love for carbonated water, but being appalled by the price - about KSh. 80 per 700 ml recyclable glass bottle. Sparkling water is sold as a premium drink.  This got me researching into what it really takes to make your own sparkling water. 
Post a Comment
Read more

Lusaka and Livingstone Zambia to Namibia By Road

Zambia is a pretty large country,  an exciting one and with no shortage of potholes.  For instance, take the direct route from Lusaka - Livingstone to Namibia through the Sesheke - Katima Mulilo border crossing. Typically, roads are either good or tend to have potholes here and there. However, the last 120 kilometres of the Livingstone to Sesheke/Katima Mulilo route are best described as potholes dotted by some road here and there for the just thirty kilometres past Kazungula town, which is also the Zambia - Botswana border crossing.  Trying to drive to Sesheke is so bad it will take you anywhere between 4 hours to 6 hours to navigate those 100 kilometres. You may or may not have your dignity at the end and your vehicle may be in more than one piece.  If you really must use the Sesheke - Katima Mulilo crossing as of December 2022, then take the 900 kilometre longer detour from Lusaka to Mongu then back to Katima Mulilo. It doesn't guarantee you absence of potholes, b...
Post a Comment
Read more

Beers of Kenya. The Ultimate 2019 Guide

Four years ago, precisely in 2015, I wrote about beer in Kenya in what has gone on to be my most popular post this year with more than 5,000 people reading it. It seems that there is a lot of interest in exploring beer in Kenya, which is understandable. The brewing sector has grown since then and we now have lots of options, which means it is time for another review. Back in 2015, Kenya had one major brewer - EABL/KBL, challenged by Keroche and Sierra which is more of a small volume craft brewer, and arguably Kenya’s first craft brewery. It had also been joined by Brew Bistro which mostly sells its malted stuff at its outlets in Nairobi and later by Sirville, a bar located at Galleria Mall. Sirville was later sold to Brew Bistro and converted to the latter for a while, before shutting down in what is alleged to be a tax dispute.
Post a Comment
Read more