READERS HAVE THEIR SAY

‘Slay queen’ has negative connotation

I am responding to your article, “When journalists cross the line separating facts from opinion” (Daily Nation, October 25).

On the front cover of the same paper, you had the picture of a woman with the headline, “It wasn’t me, ‘slay queen’ corporal says”.

In your article, you wrote about avoiding sensationalism, subjective and personal statements. You also talked about interpretative journalism.

Now the headline “It wasn’t me, ‘slay queen’ corporal says” is, undoubtedly, in tandem with your topic on sensational and subjective journalism.

It is not far from what you wrote about opinion journalism. It begs the simple question: Was the heading a fact — that the corporal is a slay queen, beyond reasonable doubt? Or was this a personal opinion?

INTERPRETATION

Ha-ha, wonders never cease. And, in that regard, what do you think this will mean or communicate?

Or rather, how will Police Corporal Caroline Mango interpret it? And what do you think this will mean to the layman without analytical and interpretative journalism skills?

And don’t you think it is not in good taste and that will only have a negative connotation for the corporal?

I am writing this as a layman clinging to the ordinary street definition of ‘slay queen’.

— Onesmus Alfred Obetto, Nairobi

* * *

Daily Nation is unrivalled

"The Daily Nation is the most favoured (read) newspaper in the country. It behoves me to comment on its format. It carries different magazines and special features each day.

On Mondays it has DN2 Daily Kenya Living magazine, on relationships, and Junior Spot, catering for children/students’ needs. On Tuesdays, it has Healthy Nation, highlighting medical breakthroughs.

On Wednesdays, it has DN2 Daily Kenya Living on motoring, where readers’ questions are answered succinctly.

On Thursdays, it has DN2 Daily Kenya Living, on topics such as real estate, and a Business magazine. On Fridays, it carries the incisive My Network magazine.”

In sum, the Daily Nation is unrivalled and most readable."

— Alnashir D. Walji, Nairobi

* * *

Muddled up facts on Gandhi

In my letter, “Internalise Gandhi teachings and see him as a human, fallible being” (Letters, DN, October 14), I muddled up facts and wrote that Mahatma Gandhi served as Prime Minister of India until his assassination in January 1948.

Karongo Mbui, a fellow reader, wrote to correct me, noting that Mahatma Gandhi never became Premier, and that the only Gandhi that became Prime Minister was Indira, daughter of Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India.

I highly appreciate Mr Mbui’s and other readers’ assiduity on the grammatical and factual rigour of my letters to the Editor.

Replying to Mr Mbui, I recognised that, like Gandhi, I was human, thus fallible, and that the squiggle of my pen wasn’t exempted from the manifestation of human imperfection.

Often, writers and readers make editors carry the can for their own errors. Writers should learn and begin to take responsibility for their flubs.

— Mulang’o Baraza, Nairobi

* * *

Brown envelope syndrome

I refer to the public editor’s article, “Politicians are mostly to blame for ‘brown envelope’ syndrome” (DN, October 4).

It seems like the public editor wrote this article in the comfort of some office. If he can go out there, he will confirm that, just like police officers, journalists also ask for bribes.

— +254 722 435 xxx

* * *

I don’t think you can really eradicate the brown envelope phenomenon even if you honestly wanted to.

As has been aptly said, every man has his price, save if you are yet to discover it. What should worry us more is how competent our journalists are — whether they can chaff out facts from fiction.

— George Marenya

Send your complaints to [email protected]. Call or text 0721 989 264