'Nation' readers comment on coverage of various events

Coverage of homosexuality

I have noted with a lot of dismay the pro-gay stance propagated by the Saturday Nation of May 25.

This is wrong, owing to the strong sentiments against the practice by many people in this country, where homosexuality is considered Western and morally unsound.

The Nation enjoys very wide readership nationally. The prominence given to gays and lesbians depicts liberality on the part of the publication that, however, may be misleading to the young and uninformed.

— Senator Irungu Kang’ata

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Too many gay articles

The (latest) Saturday Nation had very many pro-gay articles. That may be partly attributed to the demise of Binyavanga Wainaina, but, all the same, you guys ought to understand that Africans abhor the practice.

— Kahura Muriuki

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Editor’s response:

I wish to thank both readers for their patronage and feedback, which we encourage and appreciate.

The NMG was founded on the bedrock of a set of core values to espouse independent voices, diversity and freedom of expression.

Last week, we dedicated several pages to Binyavanga Wainaina because he has brought Kenya fame and literary prominence and deserves national celebration.

Binyavanga’s sexual orientation has been the subject of much public debate. But whereas it was impossible to write about him without referring to it, his sexual orientation was not the subject of the Saturday Nation stories.

The Saturday Nation’s policy, which aligns with NMG values, is to respect all people irrespective of age, gender, race, occupation or sexual orientation, among others.

The NMG platforms do not, therefore, discriminate against anyone based on their sexual orientation, whether perceived or professed.

— Wayua Muli, Editor, ‘Saturday Nation’

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Give us more world news

Recently, I was impressed by a recent Nation editorial on the foreign policy that US President Donald Trump has adopted.

It showed how it only leads to the alienation of America from the rest of the world and takes away from its standing as leader of the world.

Foreign policy decisions taken in offices in faraway lands could, and do have, an effect on our day-to-day life here.

Nevertheless, we could also learn and benefit from how others deal with common problems.

— Mulang’o Baraza

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Exposés from ‘Memory Lane’

Most pieces by Kamau Ngotho, John Kamau and other Nation writers focus on past characters at or close to the national centre of power — presumably because, in addition to being high-profile, their activities and affairs were fairly well-documented.

With certain modifications, some of these anecdotes appear in the Nation repeatedly over the years, whether by these two or other writers.

Presumably, there are many more such anecdotes from across the country that Kenyans would find interesting.

— I.P.

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Unacceptable spelling mistakes

The Nation should avoid glaring mistakes, especially in scientific articles, for the paper to retain its credibility as a leading newspaper in the region.

In the article “Drug resistance puts 10 million lives at risk” (Daily Nation, May 2, 2019), the names of two microorganisms that the writer purports to be drug-resistant were misspelt.

Klebsiella pneumonia was spelt as “Lebsiella pneumonia” and Pseudomonas aeruginosa as “Pseudomonas aeuginosa.”

— Joseph Wang’ombe Muiruri

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Local news, commercial interest

Further to your “Notebook” article on regional editions of the Nation to suit local interest, how is the interest measured without being stereotypical?

How do you moderate your potential bias? And how do you remove the potential drive towards commercial interest? I have a hunch that, at times, you create news where there’s none.

— Cheruiyot Kiprogony

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