BY BRIAN OBARA
Here’s a riddle: How do you make a small fortune in the media?
You start with a large one.
Every media mogul worthy of the title knows that owning a modern media house isn’t about raking in profits directly from the newsroom.
The true currency of media ownership lies in shaping the narrative, challenging and scrutinising the pillars of power, and fostering a business environment that benefits not only their interests but, ostensibly, the broader economy.
Such influence, after all, can pay dividends in other sectors where profit margins are wider.
Media moguls come in many shades, but whether it’s Joseph Pulitzer, William Randolph Hearst, Rupert Murdoch (often dubbed the “mogul’s mogul”), Mark Zuckerberg, Nduka Obaigbena, Reginald Mengi, or SK Macharia, they share a key trait; a deep and almost preternatural understanding of how to leverage their platforms to maximise influence.
It’s this mastery that keeps them anchored to the centre of power even as the democratically-elected occupants of various political offices come and go.
Don’t get me wrong, media moguldom can often exploit a troubling loophole in a democracy that allows a select few citizens to wield a disproportionate amount of influence.
To witness this in action, you need only look at Murdoch’s Fox News, a fact-free propaganda machine that distorts reality with alarming efficiency.
However, there does exist a version of media moguldom that doesn’t fall prey to such corrosive temptations that can reap handsome rewards for a democracy.
At a time when the country is in the clutches of a clueless and mendacious political class, Kenya is currently in urgent need of its media moguls to awaken from their slumber.
If ever there was a time for Kenya’s media barons to step up to use their platforms not for profit alone but to safeguard the public interest from those who seek to undermine it, it is now.
If public interest alone doesn’t compel them to act, then enlightened self-interest surely must.
I was reminded of this during a recent conversation with a friend who is a senior manager at one of the largest food companies in the country.
His company, part of a corporate umbrella that also includes one of Kenya’s oldest media houses, faced a clear case of extortion by local county officials.
Despite having all their paperwork and facilities in order, the company was forced to part with a significant amount of money to keep operations running smoothly.
The lesson from this? No matter how honest and profitable your enterprise is, you can’t outpace bad governance.
It has the gravitational pull of a black hole and the moral compass of an alley cat.
I know the timing isn’t exactly ideal for a sudden rediscovery of a higher mission or scruples for that matter.
One only needs to tune into one of our local radio or TV stations or fl ip through a newspaper to see how far we’ve fallen.
Spots once reserved for hard-hitting investigative journalism have been overrun by betting promotions and shady classifieds.
It’s no mystery why media houses are scrambling for survival in a business environment increasingly hostile to their existence.
I get it. But deep down, media proprietors and managers must realise this reliance on whichever quick cash is on the table is a losing game.
I share these thoughts with a personal stake in the matter. I have an immigrant’s love for the journalism profession.
I have witnessed firsthand the tremendous power of a well-run media house.
Through the daily cut and thrust of journalism, it not only shapes the first rough draft of history but also serves as the custodian of a nation’s true memory.
At its core, journalism’s real power lies in this truth-telling role, in its duty to hold up a mirror to society.
If there is any responsibility inherent in this role, it lies in the task to remind a wayward nation of its principles and true character when it strays from its path.
Stripped of the voracious commercial interests that often dominate media houses, this is the sacred mission that media moguls must embrace, especially in times like these.
Anything less would be a profound betrayal of their responsibility to the country.