Uses and dangers of sound bite journalism in political contests

Attorney General Githu Muigai (left) having a word with Patrick Lumumba at the Supreme Court of Kenya on August 26, 2017. PHOTO | JEFF ANGOTE | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Sound bites are short phrases or sentences that capture what the speaker was trying to say, summarise the information and entertain or captivate the reader or viewer.

  • The Odinga versus Kenyatta petition and the way it was received by Kenyans shows we have a new repertoire of sound bites.

  • Journalists string together sound bites as the entire story or the most expressive or pithy part of the speech or interview.

If I wanted to hire a lawyer, I would go no further than replay this week’s two-day Supreme Court hearing of the political contest between Raila Odinga and Uhuru Kenyatta.

That would help me to determine which lawyer to hire for what purpose.

The courtroom show made it clear who is good at crunching numbers, breaking down issues, simplifying matters and coming up with the right sound bites for television and social media communication.

Or even who is good at boring everyone—including the judges—with 101 lessons on the provisions of the Constitution and election laws.

It is not enough to have a factual argument; it must be simplified, dramatised and made entertaining.

But I am not hiring a lawyer. I am concerned with the uses and dangers of ‘sound bite journalism’ in political contests.

CAPTIVATE READER

That refers to extracts from a speech or interview. In essence, sound bites are short phrases or sentences that capture what the speaker was trying to say, summarise the information and entertain or captivate the reader or viewer.

Good old Kenyan examples  include the Mwai Kibaki Kanu-era sound bite, “You cannot cut a mugumo (fig tree) with a razor blade”, in reference to how not to defeat the political party that ruled Kenya for decades since Independence, and Daniel arap Moi’s “Haya, chukua, kama hiyo itaongeza sufuria ya ugali kwa...”, which was a cynical remark about the stupidity of some political greenhorns.

The Odinga versus Kenyatta petition and the way it was received by Kenyans shows we have a new repertoire of sound bites.

Examples: Where is the smoking gun? We delivered a baby, that baby is alive and well, you are being asked to strangle the baby! Decline, the baby is alive and well!

Journalists string together sound bites as the entire story or the most expressive or pithy part of the speech or interview.

They also do this, especially in television journalism, because it is ‘infotainment’—reporting of news and facts in a dramatic, entertaining and humorous way—which increases audience ratings.

GROWING CULTURE

But no serious follower of news would just rely on sound bites as the whole story.

Unfortunately, we have a growing culture of sound bite journalism—perhaps best illustrated in exchanges on Twitter, Facebook and blogs.

The problem with sound bite journalism is that it fogs political communication and readers or viewers are subjected to incomplete arguments.

Sound bites are not employed to provide the complete story or even the summary.

They are used by lawyers and politicians to justify their positions. And therein lies the danger for journalists who rely on sound bites in their reporting without delving into the context in which they were made.

Sound bite journalism can, therefore, shortchange the public’s right to know the truth or as much of the truth as can be ascertained.

COMPLEX INFORMATION

On the other hand, readers and viewers love sound bites as they simplify complex information, especially in broadcast journalism.

They are short and dramatic. For those who do not want to think hard about the news, that is all they need to know what was said.

Journalists also select sound bites (truth be told) for sensationalism and not for a balanced understanding of what was said. But this can, in some cases, lead to bias and misunderstanding.

Unfortunately, sound bites have such power over audiences, especially in television journalism, that they are here to stay.

PROFESSIONAL JOURNALISTS

And the social media, which thrives on sound bites, will make sure this culture prospers, fed by professional journalists and “citizen journalists” alike.

But the dangers of distorting reality through sound bites behoves journalists to employ them with care and circumspection.

They should not ignore the broad context in which they were made.

Note that politicians and lawyers employ sound bites essentially to manipulate minds—if not to capture news headlines. Journalists should not be a party to that.

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