BWIRE: On values, ethics and morals, carry your own cross-leave out the media

Interestingly, whenever society is unable to come to truth with itself, it especially through the political class, uses all means, however cheap, to find cause to externalise the issue by blaming others.

The media always bears the brunt of this insincerity and double speak, especially by our leaders led by the political and religious class.

Media is a mirror of society, and with changes in the collection and packaging of news where the audience dictates what it prefers to consume, and with the onset of digital platforms, the gatekeeping role of the media has greatly adopted to be the true mirror of society.

Media does not operate in a vacuum but is a representation of the values, culture and character of the society in operates in. Journalists are members of society and greatly influenced in their work by what goes on around them.

We are a country that does not have any known values, has abandoned morals and lives in pretense throughout—from the political leaders, religious leaders and the educational system—to the extent that even the most senior most in our society  insult, lie, spew hate and use abusive language from graduation parties, church sermons, political rallies and on digital platforms without shame.

But we quickly forget this whenever we think the media has what we define as sensational headlines. We pretend to care about national unity, shout how the media is not patriotic and unethical—our leaders have lost moral ground to call anyone, including journalists, unethical, have failed to inspire confidence, and can rarely get the respect they are demanding for.

There is very little they are passing onto society, so they should just chill and harvest what they have planted.

You misbehave in churches, on car rooftops, online, in our bedrooms, board rooms and schools in front of our children, but you want the media to cleanse you, by trying to intimidate the media and create misinformation and propaganda about journalists, yet the crimes you are committing against Kenyans are worse.

You only pretend when the media reminds and shows the world, your true picture and character as a leader, to castigate the mirror. The mirror can’t change your appearance. You lost the high moral ground to advise anybody, including the media.

The level of impunity and insincerity in the country is alarming and without serious intervention, we might just regret it. A nation easily breaks into anarchy, when extreme positions are taken on national issues, leaders insult each other publicly and the public loses patience and direction and starts vomiting such dangerous and poisonous words as are currently being spewed online and via the media.

The most affected are the youth, who have lost role models and are traumatized by the behavior of immature adults stuck in immorality.

Looking at the venom by Kenyans online in churches, bedrooms, and boardrooms, its laughable to single out media headlines as worrying.

While it is easy to single out media as perpetuating violence, the ongoing mannerlessness, hate and angry exchanges online by Kenyans, especially our political leaders—at each other and amongst each other—over sometimes very mundane and sometimes serious national issues deserve mention and attention.

The one major lesson we see in Kenya is that lack of morals and values is an elite problem. It’s the elites who are tribal to the tilt in this country—the words and expressions on the online forums are dangerous—and are being peddled by the elites who can access and use the media platforms.

They are pretentious and only see problems with others, while their true colors in nice suits and tribal because—it’s the elites who want the scare resources or jobs who are angry—and they are expressing in badly online in the name of freedom of expression.

The media has the capacity to hold governments accountable, forcing them to explain their actions and decisions, all of which affect the people they represent.

In a democratic society, people should know all their options if they are to govern themselves, and the media is a vehicle for the dissemination of such information. This will benefit Kenyans today and generations into the future.