Pandora’s Box: The bad and the ugly of Kenya’s sports journalists

Sometimes it is tough being a sports journalist.

To obtain the deep, well-researched and gripping stories about the news makers in sports, you need to cultivate close and personal relationships with them.

Sports writers travel with teams to match venues, interview players, coaches and officials at their club houses and even changing rooms.

They get so close to their sources – persons that give information to journalists - that they almost become a part of the team.

No wonder sports writers have many times been accused of becoming friends and even fans of their sources as the sanctified professional boundary is crossed, raising ethical and professional concerns.

Many studies in Social Science, in fact, show that most sports stories are of a cheer nature, with little space given to critical aspects of the game like corruption, cheating, mismanagement, doping etc.

No wonder the International Sports Press Survey of 2005 commissioned by a think tank in Denmark and which covered 10 countries and 10,000 articles from 37 newspapers termed the sports press the world’s best advertising agency.

Sports Press in partnership with industry

The study showed that the sports press is in partnership with the sports industry and is thus, rarely critical.

Coverage of the recent Kenya football elections is a case in point. Many publications and broadcasters went full blast in not only tacitly endorsing their preferred candidates but also devoting acres of space and time to them.

On the basis of news value, most of the stories, at best, belonged to the spikes bin.

They should never even have been covered. Journalists fell all over themselves following certain aspirants known to grease palms.

Other media houses gave certain aspirants a complete black-out while covering others like they were the leaders-in-waiting.

Things were worse behind the scenes, raising serious questions on conflict of interest. Some journalists held surreptitious meetings with their preferred candidates to discuss how they could work together to win the elections while others actually worked in the election teams of certain aspirants.

I saw with my own eyes (forgive my English) some journalists openly celebrating when the results were officially announced at the national tallying centre at Moi International Sports Centre.

I know doors can be closed on journalists who prove to be too critical of players, teams and officials.

A nosy and professional journalist suddenly finds players reluctant to pick telephone calls or grant interviews. Team officials declare you a persona non grata at their clubs and stadiums.

Federation leaders decline to send you information, preferring to work with “friendly” journalists.

Journalism is suppose to be about truth, fairness and objectivity. In real life, it is hard to practise that. Herbert J Schultz’s seventh law of journalism says: “Press practices always differ from theory”.

But still, what happened during the coverage of football elections was a complete mockery of all the codes of conduct in journalism. Many of the so called sports journalists sold their souls to the aspirants.
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Many die-hard rugby fans are lamenting over the shifting of the Safari Sevens rugby tournament from the traditional RFUEA grounds to Nyayo National Stadium.

I do not mind Nyayo Stadium. The playing surface is certainly better and I can walk home after a day-long session of rugby.