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Should scandals be our headlines?

(all photos taken from google.co.ke)
(twentyinparis.net)

You know I am still in shock and amazement. Would you like to know the reason why? Scandals are becoming more important for our media to thrive. It is not enough we have other scandalous materials, websites and ‘news agencies’ but now traditional media are vouching for more scandals to make news.

I was reading a local daily a few days back and I stopped at the headline. My media studies teacher had taught me that it is important to make a headline catchy so as to attract an audience to read. I did not need to read the story though because I would need to visit a shrink afterwards. The story; well it was applauding a recent stunt where a local celebrity misbehaved in a media station where he was called to co-host the show. How did he misbehave? He was recklessly making advances at the presenter who was a dignified married woman and ruining the reputation of the media house.

I have not watched the video mind you. I have gone through it in passing and I have read through posts of people I deem trustworthy. It has also become the talk of the town and to me is a bit of a stale story. I was amazed that the writer said that there is more need for such scandals. I was astonished, disgusted, disturbed, angry, confused, nauseated, perturbed, uncomfortable, and generally sad.

“Why? Why would you advocate for such stories? We are suffering as a nation; do we really need to acts like that? Is it because of the lack of positive stories? So what? People just go on live television touch people’s wives and husbands without a formal consent? Should we have people twerking while someone reads the news? Should news presenters make sex tapes and broadcast them to the public? Should immorality be the order of the day? What about media professionalism? Will people take the traditional media as an authoritative mouthpiece for the people? Why should we watch it in the traditional media when we have other better avenues that really know how to follow and write the juiciest of scandals? What will the international media corporations think of our media? Will investors want to go to a country full of scandalous news? What will happen to professional journalism?(I know I have asked twice) Will we need graduates to help write these scandalous stories? What will happen to the media station’s reputation?”

It is true that most of the audiences today, especially in Kenya are looking for the juiciest of scandals. However, when turning to traditional media, they are looking for truth, transparency and information.
Scandals destroy the reputation of the person’s involved, the media house involved and the country as a whole. It is good to read or watch for the fun of it, but when scandals become the stories of the day, we will have lost it as media and people of integrity.  


Scandals are not fun. In order to see that, it is important to look through the history of the major scandals and ask yourself why the people involved have either gone underground or avoid public contact as much as they can.

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