Role of the media in Kenya's post election violence

Via Richard Sambrook who alerts the world to a report comissioned by BBC World service looking at whether the media were to blame for the recnt violence in Kenya following the elections at the end of last year.

It follows comments by the Kenyan information minister who at the time said

The violence after the announcement of the polls was due to the polarity in the media, especially vernacular media which were turned into political tools.”

However the report concludes that

the crisis demonstrates that a free and plural media are as much an answer to Kenya's democratic deficit as they are a problem.

In particular,the

role of the local language media during the crisis was the product of a chaotic regulatory policy and the lack of training - especially of talk show hosts, whose programmes provided the platform for most of the hate speech.

and

local language radio played a role in calming tensions as well as inflaming them, and could be a powerful mechanism for reconciliation.

In Praise of the World Service

Occasionally on those dark nights when you can't get to sleep,I will switch on the Radio and tuned into Radio 4 will hear the World service being broadcast.

I must admit that I sometimes feel guilty that I don't listen to it a lot more,but to be honest,it has to compete with a plethora of alternative sources of information.

That doesn't decry from its excellent service and the organisation is celebrating its 75th anniversary this month.

Often the questions are asked how relevent it is in this multi media internet age.

John Tusa,its former head writes in the Telegraph

How relevant is it now that information is, allegedly, "unlimited"? Paradoxically, as the new media reveal their limitations – unreliability, partiality, the flaunting of personal whim or political bias – so the need for edited, processed, considered, reflected news and information reasserts itself

.

If you want to know why the service is so important read the article and read the piece by Brian Keenan who whilst held in captivity for 5 years in Beirut had it as his only life line

Little did I know when I first became a convert just how meaningful and inspiring its broadcasts were to become during my captive life in a filthy hole in the ground in Lebanon in the late 1980s.
It was here that I learnt about the catastrophe of Chernobyl, the fall of the Berlin Wall, the détente between Israel and the PLO. There were stories about communities in northern China, the suppression of the Falun Gong, the disappearance of tribes in the Amazon. Then there was the occasional snippet about the campaign for Western hostages in Lebanon. That was real oxygen from the airwaves to a drowning man.

In Praise of the World Service

I have just been watching the excellent programme that was on BBC 4 about the World Service"London Calling....Inside the BBC World service"

I am sure that many people in the Uk do not appreciate the resources that go into this service which costs the tax payer £250m a year(funding does not come out of the license fee) and broadcasts in 33 launguages.

The programme starts at the end of 2005 when the BBC closed 9 Eastern European services to divert money into a new Arabian TV service.The countries,including Bulgaria and Poland were selected as it was felt they now had a free media operating within their borders.Interestingly the Russian service continues to broadcast.


The situation in Asia is different.The Afghani service is heard by 60% of the country's population and is a lifeline for many in terms of getting news.After 9/11 and the allied invasion of the country,it was the only source of news about what was happening.Over 40 journalists cover the country.

Meanwhile in China,the authorities jam the news services and as a consequence broadcasts are being cut back.

In this day and age,with its multi platform 24 hour access to news,it is easy to forget about the World Service and its importance in broadcasting news and information to people who cannot always receive it

Def lost in translation

A good piece from Richard Sambrook about the problems of translating interviews.

Whilst being interviewed about the BBC World service for Figaro

I ran through the BBC`s global news services - 33 radio
services, BBC World TV, the internet, and our plans for broadband and for Arabic
and Farsi TV. Very straightforward. So I was a little surprised when Le Figaro
announced we were launching 33 new TV channels! Needless to say, no correction
has been forthcoming even online where it would be easy to do.