No, Nation is responsible for mistakes in funeral notices, not the bereaved families

Nation Media Group (NMG) Editor-in-Chief Tom Mshindi (left) and Equity Bank Chief Executive James Mwangi at the launch of the NMG-Equity diaspora e-paper app on July 22, 2015. The growth of social and citizen media grow and the decline of traditional newspapers’ prospects call for newsroom restructuring and flexibility in talent management, for NMG chief executive Linus Gitahi writes. PHOTO | EDWIN OKOTH | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • In simple words, the editor cannot pass the buck.
  • Conclusion: A big win for bereaved families who fail to write decent copy as well as readers who love to read death and funeral announcements.
  • A little problem of overcrowded announcements remains, though. These announcements are in very small print to fit into the limited space the names of all the family members.

I have been proved wrong. Last week I said the responsibility of writing readable and error-free death and funeral announcements belongs to those who write them, not NMG space sellers.

In a swift follow-up, Editor-in-Chief Tom Mshindi said: “While I agree with you that the responsibility of writing the announcements rests in the families that are making them, they must be error-free — spelling, grammar, etc… we need to do clean up and Mike (group advertising manager) should ensure that this is done.”

Mr Henry Gekonde, an outspoken NMG editor, said common sense should prevail. Sub-editors, he said, should edit death notices for grammar, spelling, fact-checking, style, libel, and so on.

BAD REPUTATION

Mr Philip Wangalwa, a former colleague at NMG, sent a message from Busia saying, “sub-editors ought to take care of the pages covering deaths.” And Mr Leonard Radoli, one of my valued interlocutors and a former NMG journalist, said things must have changed since his time with NMG.

He quoted the then NMG chairman, Mr Albert Ekirapa, telling all employees: “A poorly-phrased advertisement or business letter is, indirectly, a bad reflection on our newspapers.”

To put this issue in perspective, I must also tell you what Ms Mary Mukoko, the principal whistle-blower on funeral errors, said in a follow-up letter: “My mother died in 2008 and my two brothers in 2011. I personally edited and re-edited their obituaries till they were just right before I left the space sellers’ office!”

WASH OUT ERRORS
Many readers, however, were of the same mind as the Editor-in-Chief. A reader going by the name of Nyakwaramula said: “Mr Mwaura, while I agree with you that the responsibility of writing a proper death and funeral announcement lies with the ‘owners’, I also think the space sellers are the advertisement agents in this field and they must not allow obvious errors to be printed.”

Another reader, Wango, said mourners might not pay much attention to what they say, so NMG must take over the editing. “The solution lies in NMG editing at all times regardless of what the family has written. After all, it’s an NMG platform and not for the family or the departed.”

SOLE RESPONSIBILITY

On reflection, I agree. I should also have remembered the NMG editorial policy, which is clear: “The editor shall assume responsibility for all matter, including advertisements, published in the print media or broadcast on radio or television.”

In simple words, the editor cannot pass the buck. Conclusion: A big win for bereaved families who fail to write decent copy as well as readers who love to read death and funeral announcements.

A little problem of overcrowded announcements remains, though. These announcements are in very small print to fit into the limited space the names of all the family members. In the process, the announcements become difficult to read.

Who is going to tell these families that it would be better to leave out some of the names if they cannot fit?

WHY ETHIOPIAN CALENDAR IS NOT 'ABNORMAL' 

On Monday this week Themina Kader, a retired professor of material culture studies in art education, drew my attention to page 26 of the Daily Nation where, under "County News Round-Up", there is a photograph of two Ethiopian women dancers with a caption that" reads: “Ethiopians are eight years behind the normal calendar”.

She asked: “What is a ‘normal’ calendar? I think I know what (the caption writer) means. I guess he is comparing the Ethiopian calendar with the Gregorian calendar.

A DISPARAGING WORD

"In my opinion, however, used in this context the connotation of the word ‘normal’ is rather discriminatory and perhaps a little patronising. After all, there are many calendars that are culturally different from the Gregorian calendar.” 

Prof Kader is absolutely right. The term “normal” in this context is insensitive, patronising, and derogatory. It belongs to the class of statements and words that denigrate others because they are different, such as “I don’t like people with negroid features”, “kaffir”, “tribesmen”, “native” (in a colonial context), or even an apparently harmless statement like “The Meru are a sub-tribe of the Kikuyu”.

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