Yes, The Media Know More Than You, Mr Kabogo

Apparently, William Kabogo, the rich Juja MP, who is not new to Prof George Saitoti’s ministry, doesn’t know that the media ALWAYS have more information than most of their sources-especially those who keep them waiting for long before responding to their inquests, or let their phones ring continuously without them picking or even those who just keep mum when the ever hungry Fourth estatetians are marauding around them.

For stubborn ones like Mr Kabogo who develop slippery skins, the media have several ways of nipping them. First they will befriend those around the individual-the very close associates like family members, business partners, their drivers, secretaries or even cooks-then without sweats plough information from them about the hard-headed, cagey individual. They will, of course, promise to replace their identities with the ever secretive phrase: the source of this information could not be named because bla bla bla! Therefore, considering this those of the same understanding as Kabogo who seemed to suggest that the media should have same info as them or even less should wake or be awoken from their sleep, ignorance for this case. There is no way such could happen, not in this era when the worlds have opened up for the media to operate freely.

Any story pursued by the media, for your information, when complete would consist of three pillars-the affected, the winner and the loser. All these are necessary for a good story. For example, for this latest story which Mr Kabogo has been mentioned several times, the affected, Mercy Chepkosgei Keino (RIP), is the originator of the story. The winner, here should be the police, are the beneficiaries of what happened. The loser for this case is Mr Kabogo and other suspects, are those pushed into the dark side of the story. They are often negatively drawn in any occurrence. Going by this plain way journalists conduct their business, you realise they will have more information than any single individual especially one contributing to a particular story at hand.

So next time when Mr Kabogo says: “Sometimes I don’t understand you people (media)…you seem to have more information than we have …”quoted by the Daily Nation, he should be reminded of this moral lesson down here.

Moral Lesson: The media knows more than you.