Tell us good things about Kenya as well

Kenya is an interesting country and there are many things we say about ourselves and about others.

Some of the things we say about ourselves are not so bad, but wait until we start saying things about others. There, trouble begins.

There used to be a theory or a thought pattern – actually in journalism – that went something like this. If a dog bites a man, that is not news.

But if a man bites a dog, that is real news. That in my view sounds right in our current Kenya. There are too many men ‘and women’ biting dogs.

What I mean to say is that there is too much bad news coming through our media channels.

ROLE MODELS

One day it is about a man killing his wife and children, then in another case a woman is killed by the husband’s lover and some days later it is about a woman being accused of being involved in the killing of her lawyer husband.

Mark you in the latest case she herself is in the legal profession and in the societal protection side.

Of course there are families that are not that sophisticated but they also get involved in the same kind of scams. That is what our media reports.

Where is this society headed to? Let us not lose sight of the fact that there is a younger generation that is every single day looking up to us who are older to show them the way.

Is the way going to be about dogs biting men or about men biting dogs?

GROWTH

For as long as we keep narrating negative things every single day, they will never know anything else.

I understand and teach a bit of media studies but still think that the people – my colleagues in the media – may want to reinvent the industry. Too much negative news is not good for a society that must grow.

The bottom line in my view is that there is so much good happening all over Kenya but somehow many of us do not get to know those good things.

Everyday when I open the newspaper expecting to see good news I do not. Then I turn on the television and most of the news I see is bad news. The radio is the same.

SIEVE

This is certainly not good for our society. When people get used to reports about bad things that keep happening around them there is the danger that they will perceive that to be the way our society has to be.

Is it possible that the gate keepers – even as they look at the evil in our society – could also give a look at the good things that are happening?

Fr Wamugunda is the dean of students and sociology lecturer at the University of Nairobi. [email protected]