How Far to Go? Kenya's Media Caught in the Turmoil of a Failed Election

This 9-page report documents the findings of a fact-finding mission conducted by Reporters without Borders, International Media Support (IMS), and Article 19 to investigate the successes and failures of Kenya's media during the post-election crisis in Kenya. [Editor's note: Violence erupted nationwide when rumours of vote-counting fraud emerged in the days after President Mwai Kibaki was declared the winner of the December 27 2007 disputed presidential election.]

According to the report, when violence erupted and spread, all the media joined together (sometimes in chorus) and printed long editorials, commentaries, and articles - and even joint front pages - calling for national harmony. But this switch to being peacemakers shocked some Kenyans and foreign observers, especially journalists and media experts. They said it was not only dishonest but that the media had become involved in role-playing that diverted it from its job of seeking out the truth in the public interest.

The report notes that even the major media houses admitted failure in reporting the truth. Fear of fostering ethnic divisions (similar to the crisis in Rwanda) and of physical attacks both by government and the people kept journalists from investigating the election results. This pressure, combined with inexperience in covering such violent events, made journalists, editors, and owners play down some stories and not report others at all.

The paper includes some key recommendations to help the media cover and cope with crisis situations:

• The Kenyan authorities should refrain from any attempts of censorship out of concerns about a repeat of the Rwanda syndrome - as expressed to the mission team - and take a less hostile and more trusting attitude to the media. They should appreciate the efforts of leading Kenyan media outlets to promote peace and not to aggravate the post-election violence. They should help the media to strengthen its self-regulation machinery and its capacity for working together and providing training so it can more effectively cope with extreme crisis situations.
• Kenya's political parties should stop using radio stations to rally and organise their supporters and confront the questions and criticism of the media honestly.
• The Kenyan media should continue to review its performance in the post-election crisis in a spirit of cooperation. It should set up a fund to help train journalists in investigative reporting and self-protection in places where there is violence and fighting. It should offer the public maximum information and insight into the crisis the media has been experiencing since the election. It should also strengthen its system of self-regulation and consulting together.