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Post by job on Oct 10, 2011 19:18:30 GMT 3
This weekend, I participated in a succesful conference of Kenyans in the diaspora - held at a Hotel located downtown Washington DC.
 
More than 700 Kenyans (predominantly professionals, business folks, and expats) were in attendance over the 3 day event.
Not a single one I talked to who read the Daily Nation coverage of the event, had kind words for correspondent reporter Kevin Kelly; Daily Nation's photo-editors; and Daily Nation's senior editors.
Here is the story: www.nation.co.ke/News/President+Obama+snubs+Kenyas+diaspora+conference/-/1056/1252394/-/xver75/-/index.htmlLet's start with the choice for the story title. President Obama snubs Kenya's diaspora conference The Daily Nation editorial team that picked the title seemed to bother less about: the objectives of the conference; Kenyan attendees (based at home and abroad); possible conference outcomes; and its general and specific relevance to Kenya. Looking at that title above, one may miss the obvious media bias and negativity targeting President Obama. Again, the heading says "President Obama snubs Kenya's diaspora conference". The truth is, no American President ever attends trivial and local gatherings organized by foreign immigrants. I use the word trivial here, in the context (perspective) of a super-busy American White House. The Daily Nation editors should therefore stop misleading Kenyans that there was even a remote chance President Obama would ever attend such an event. It is not the first time the Daily Nation is trying to drag President Obama into frivolous and inconsequential non-issues. This is the same newspaper that offered acres of editorial space for opinions disparaging the then Senator Barack Obama after the latter’s objective critique of Kenya’s corruption-driven governance in 2006. The same newspaper opened its reporting pages to biased coverage of a well-known anti-Obama propagandist called Jerome Corsi during the 2008 U.S. Presidential campaigns. Right now, the editors of the Daily Nation are back at it; seizing another opportunity to mislead its readers with yet another tasteless, offensive and cheap shot at the U.S. President. For heaven’s sake, whichever way the Daily Nation tries to lampoon the caricature of President Obama, he remains the world’s most powerful figure! The Daily Nation should desist from making silly ridicule of President Obama's biological roots. President Obama has himself made it quite clear that he is indeed an American, not a Kenyan in the diaspora! What business has the Daily Nation got to continue hanging onto myths long dispelled by the U.S. President himself? I am now coming to this photograph that the same newspaper published on its front-page to represent the U.S. President they were writing about.
PHOTO/ FILE LEST HE FORGET: US President Barrack Obama sits in front of a traditional Luo hut during a past visit to Kogelo
As they say, a picture speaks more than a thousand words. With this picture depiction of their subject, the Daily Nation has essentially reached an all time low in its blatant disrespect for the President of the United States of America, Barack Obama. The editors of the so called leading newspaper in Kenya have even surpassed America’s right wing media in what appears an over-drive in contemptuous denigration of the President of the U.S.A. Please look again at this front-page Daily Nation photo-editorial of the U.S. President. What are the Daily Nation editors trying to do? Aren't they trying to embarrass the 44th President of the U.S.A who happens to have Kenyan roots? Aren't they proactively reminding the world that President Obama is/was a smoker? Aren't they falsely trying to portray President Obama as a previous hut-dwelling tribal Kenyan; now turned into an American snob? To add salt to injury, the Daily Nation goes ahead to insert an equally offensive and contemptuous caption to their photo... ati LEST HE FORGETS. Gud lawd!!!! Forget what? Who do these editors think they are? Did Obama grow up in that hut? American advertisers should seriously take note of this condescending depiction of their President by the Daily Nation. What the heck does the U.S. Ambassador to Kenya, Maj. Gen. Scot Gration think of such nose-thumbing of his boss? Does the Embassy still want to do busines with these shady and disrespectful characters at the Daily Nation? The US Embassy and offended Americans should equally give the Daily Nation a rebutal lest-they-forget-where-their-advertising-shillings-come-from moment! This culture of tabloid journalism being adopted by the Daily Nation will continue to affect its dwindling credibility. Editorial judgments about photographs ordinarily hinge on two kinds of standards, moral standards and standards of taste. Whether you are Kenyan or American, make your own honest Judgment about the Daily Nation editorial standards of taste and aesthetics. If an attempt was being made to link the President to his roots in Kenya, aren’t there recent pictures of then Senator Obama at the same home (taken in 2006)? This open and deliberate matharau (disdain) of the American President by Kenyan editors is plainly despicable. The Daily Nation editors should be exposed and kept honest. Just last week, PS Thuita Mwangi appearing as a witness for Ambassador Muthaura at the ICC court, made another bombshell revelation about the editorial tactics of the Daily Nation. Thuita confessed that the Daily Nation solicited him to write an opinion editorial dispelling ICC’s intervention in Kenya and Africa in general. It is logical to assume the Daily Nation similarly prompted Thuita to pen his other article in defense of the Kenya’s official invitation of ICC-fugitive President al Bashir (of Sudan) to the Constitution promulgation ceremony. Has anyone noticed another flurry of Daily Nation and Sunday Nation op-eds with one common theme – the purported ‘incompetence’ of ICC Prosecutor Moreno Ocampo. Read Kwendo Opanga's & Ahmednassir Abdulahi's recent columns. That is yet another choreographed deception meant to sway public opinion ahead of the Judges’ decision on the recently concluded confirmation hearings. The Daily Nation has shamelessly joined a couple other media houses to drum the conspiracy that despite “no evidence” from the ICC Prosecutor, the international community will use these cases to politically cripple certain “front-runner” Presidential candidates. The Daily Nation is right at the center of this deadly conspiracy that largely ignores the reality of PEV and the hundreds of thousands of its victims. Editors at the Nation should be aware many Kenyans are watching their pitiable and wretched anti-Obama, anti-ICC, pro-AU, and pro-Gadaffi missions. Their general political inclinations and bias are already noted. The Nation Media Group Chief Executive Officer, and de facto managing editor, Linus Gitahi should just seriously consider retiring to start campaigning for the Tetu Parliamentary seat, under President Kibaki's PNU party. It’s about time to cut the chase! Shame on you fellas!Here is U.S. President, Barack Obama's official portrait in case it's not in your Daily Nation photo file!  |
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Post by akinyi2005 on Oct 10, 2011 20:01:26 GMT 3
Exactly my sentiments when i saw this story last night. Yeah shame on you DN - how about telling your readers what the conference was all about instead of resorting to such cheap and misleading stories.
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Post by joblesscorner on Oct 10, 2011 20:03:49 GMT 3
hahaha I made a comment too about it..... Shame to the Senior Editor too for allowing that to be published.
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Post by Daktari wa makazi on Oct 10, 2011 20:18:48 GMT 3
I think you are over reacting, and in process getting pretty mad for nothing. My main concern with newspaper reporting is usually when they report lies or innuendos purporting the same to be facts. I think if they did that, they would cross the line. It seems to me that the reporting was factual. According to the article, If indeed he was invited, and declined, then the reporting of the snub is accurate, albeit sensational. Maybe they should have said he declined, not snubbed. However, one would expect newspapers to try and attract readers by sweeten their stories, without necessarily lying, and that seems to be the case, here. Second, the picture is factual, Obama did sometimes back visit Kenya and in particular his father’s rural dwelling. There is nothing shameful about the visit to his father’s ancestral home, and at the time the visit was well known. Again, maybe it wasn't the best choice of Obama's picture in Kenya, and thus can be accused of sensationalisation. On the smoking, it is not wrong to smoke, many politicians do. Their smoking is in public domain. I was not surprised to learn that Nancy Pelosi smoked. The organizers may not have realised that it is too high an expectation to invite Obama to attend a Kenyan function, and hope that he turns up. One thing is for sure, Obama not Kenyan, it was his father who was one. He therefore cannot associate with Kenya as his father would have. I think many Kenyans have a strong affiliation to identify with Obama, because of who he is, and some go over board to attract attention, but doubt if that was shameful. The same would be the case if the Pope was Kenyan. |
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Post by akinyi2005 on Oct 10, 2011 20:51:15 GMT 3
Sadik, The reality is that Obama probably receives numerous such invitations on a daily basis which he may or may not know personally about. While an appearance by the US president or his wife would have been highly welcome at this event, I don't think the organizers were naive to imagine that Obama would set aside all that he has to deal with currently(as US president) to attend the Kenyan function. You meekly concur that the DN sensationalized a non-issue why not call a spade what it is. the truth of the matter is that the WH actually sent an apology (due to other more pressing matters) and did not snub or decline the invitation as the DN story seems to depict. SHAME ON DN again. In the meantime The Standard chose to focus on more important things. Kenyans jam-pack Diaspora conference in DC
By Chris Wamalwa in USA
Hundreds of Kenyans living in the US, in a show of renewed interest in their motherland jam-packed a Washington DC hotel over the weekend to attend a Diaspora conference organised by the Kenya government through its embassy in Washington DC.
The Kenya Diaspora conference was convened specifically to help the Diaspora identify investment opportunities that exist in Kenya’s economic blueprint popularly known as Vision 2030. Billed by the organisers as ‘one of a kind’, the hugely successful conference attracted an unprecedented number of Kenyans living in the USA.
At the close of business on Sunday afternoon, an estimated 1,000 people had passed through the registration and exhibition corridors though only about 500 had been allowed to officially register owing to the venue capacity.
“The main objective of bringing Kenyans to Washington, DC was to engage them with Kenya’s Vision 2030. The idea is that this is the blueprint, this is the strategy that Kenya has developed to take us to being a middle income, high income country by the year 2030”, said Elkanah Odembo, Kenyan ambassador to the US.
Mr Odembo said the Kenyan Diaspora estimated at 3 million-plus, possessing tremendous financial and human capital is poised to be the engine of Kenya’s development.
Vision 2030, launched in 2008 by the coalition government aims at transforming Kenya into a newly industrializing middle income country by providing a high quality of life for the citizens by the year 2030.
The launch of the vision was an ideal starting point to focus attention on what should be done to realize a prosperous Kenya.
“The Kenya government has identified Diaspora diplomacy as one of the pillars of our foreign policy and is deliberately doing everything possible to recognize the role they play national development.
Such meetings and events are meant to let the Diaspora know that we appreciate them and are willing to work with them”, said Richard Onyonka, Foreign Affairs Assistant Minister.
The clout of the Kenyan Diaspora has been on the rise since the diaspora became the country’s biggest donor with remittances far exceeding Foreign Direct Investment and Official Development Assistance from outside entities.www.standardmedia.co.ke/InsidePage.php?id=2000044520&cid=4&ttl=Kenyans jam-pack Diaspora conference in DC |
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Post by amadain on Oct 10, 2011 21:07:15 GMT 3
I've also noticed increasing shoddiness in the DN's journalism... and that one was pretty funny. Of course he declined the invitation, he's not Kenyan! Why the hell would he attend? Also I thought it was ridiculous that the author never even mentioned the name of this diaspora society or the name of the conference.
By the way who is this Kevin J Kelly?
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Post by godmesa on Oct 10, 2011 21:59:12 GMT 3
It is good that the toxic nature of the daily nation is finally being unravelled. The paper has become intolerant to views that veers from its main obsession with an ethnic base that supports kkk. Few weeks ago, it lampooned the whole of kisumu county population as coup plotters and murderers ONLY to apologise by changing the title but not the context nor the story.
Its editorial position has taken a worser trend than the kenya times of the moi years SIMPLY put, they denigrate anybody who is assumed to be against their chosen leadership.
That will be the day when daily nation will show a photo of kibaki, shortly after the accident, when he became the president of kenya in a wheel chair, neck brace. When it will write the story and show photos of kenyans who were killed by the band of murderers currently being held to account at the hague. Such day will not come. Daily nation is bent on charting a false conduit to amplify a depraved narrative.
The story of obama, the diaspora and that ciggy infront of his grandma's home IS SIMPLY PART OF THE NARRATIVE that the paranoid daily nation editorial team has developed in their attempt to portray obama as the underlying hand that is causing uhuru kenyatta's tribulations. They seem oblivious to the fact that when PEV happened, Obama wasn't the president of america, and rather it was George Bush who was pretty hard on kibaki, and it was condoleeza rice who came and put her foot hard on the illegal government of kenya to stop the violence that was being unleashed on kenyans.
And the only comfort is that most kenyans are watching the paper's testy journey on the fast lane of intolerance. And time will tell when people do really get fed up with it.
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Post by Daktari wa makazi on Oct 10, 2011 22:22:03 GMT 3
You meekly concur that the DN sensationalized a non-issue why not call a spade what it is. the truth of the matter is that the WH actually sent an apology (due to other more pressing matters) and did not snub or decline the invitation as the DN story seems to depict. I did no such thing as meekly concur. What I did not see, as alleged, was any shameful reporting, and I have explained my reasons. Further, you contradict yourself. By sending his apology, underlined in your quote, you are saying he declined the invite thus did not attend, which is what the Nation reported. So what is shameful about saying that Obama declined to attend after been invited? Obama is not my president, I neither care about his attendance nor his sensibilities, as long as any such reporting of the same are factual. You, in other hand, sound very hurt on his behalf. |
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Post by reporter911 on Oct 11, 2011 0:16:34 GMT 3
Job
Start by who owns the DAILY NATION? then you will get all your answers, I doubt if there is any independent journalism at the Daily Nation Newspaper and for that matter most of the newspapers in kenya, they are controlled on what to write.. journalists are compromised.. and viola that is what you read in the papers, the other peoples machinery to create havoc or to protect their own..Kenyans must be vigilant and counter every lie & propaganda they print, by using blogs, social media e.t.c that is the only way we can stop them printing lies and propaganda for their bosses selfish interests.. the fact is the Daily Nation will not change their style of reporting because they are controlled by powers above.....enuff said..
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Post by adongo23456 on Oct 11, 2011 0:24:02 GMT 3
Sadik,
Obama is not your president. He is the president of the United States of America whether you like it or not. The stupidity of the Daily Nation speaks for itself. The conference in the US was not about Barack Obama. It was about what Kenyans in diaspora can do to improve their country. If you have nothing to offer in that direction that is fine.
The least the DN crew should have done is to tell Kenyans what the conference was about. Who was coming. What was the agenda of the meeting. This is not about some crap of people being hurt or any such nonsense. It is just poor journalism and quite revealing about the DN's political agenda. I am glad job who was at the conference very accurately exposed the stupidity of the Daily Nation for what it is.
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Post by johnmaina on Oct 11, 2011 1:04:34 GMT 3
NMG turned into a gutter press under the leadership of the heavily accented ceo. what is not undeniable is that it is minting profits and still one of the top media houses in east Africa. but only because they are riding on their past glory which for sure will at some point come to an end when kenyans come to realise know there are better/credible alternatives, which are in shortage at the present but will not remain like that forever.
NMG long lost its purpose/objectivity and is now more focused on making profits and representing the status qou/impunity in their reporting as they know thats where the money come from.
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Post by shifta on Oct 11, 2011 5:47:22 GMT 3
Ambassador Odembo took the stage when this issue was raised during one of the plenary sessions. He made it clear that he had talked to the DN dude on Saturday and made it clear that president Obama had NOT been invited instead the embassy had invited 1st. Lady. Michelle. However, she had sent her apologies in time and cited prior commitments. So where does the snub story come from?
Secondly, would it kill DN to point out the significance of the conf. and what was accomplished. Not one beep about it. Why do we Kenyans at times to do such to ourselves
The DN can go to hell!!!l
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Post by morimax on Oct 11, 2011 7:55:20 GMT 3
DN has been biased on their coverage and moreso take a negativistic approach even to some political parties and presidential candidates in Kenya. For qiute sometime it has been boring to read DN.. I think it is another time, DN needs to be taught a lesson.. They are truly pathetic.
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Post by kamalet on Oct 11, 2011 10:48:40 GMT 3
Kweli people have issues!!!
If Obama or his missus was invited and did not show up (declining invitation means the same as snubbing!) why is it an issue or do people have nothing more important things to discuss about the conference?
This clearly shows what sumbuas people and why we are backward!
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Post by destiny on Oct 11, 2011 11:10:47 GMT 3
 This is MUTUMA MATHIU the baby faced editor of DN. I would like to hear from him which criteria was used to publish that photo of Obama smoking in front of a mud hut out of thousands of cute pics. And here is our beloved KAMALE still defending MUTUMA MATHIU six years ago in MASHADA!www.mashada.com/forums/politics/8103-where-mutuma-mathiu.html |
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Post by boyengo on Oct 11, 2011 12:12:25 GMT 3
i pity those of us who still read and take the story contents of kenyan Newspaper as gospel truth!
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Post by kamalet on Oct 11, 2011 13:47:53 GMT 3
This is MUTUMA MATHIU the baby faced editor of DN. I would like to hear from him which criteria was used to publish that photo of Obama smoking in front of a mud hut out of thousands of cute pics. And here is our beloved KAMALE still defending MUTUMA MATHIU six years ago in MASHADA!www.mashada.com/forums/politics/8103-where-mutuma-mathiu.htmlDestiny Are you confusing that Kamale of Mashada and Jukwaa's Kamalet? I heard somewhere that they were related - kind of cousins a couple of times removed! It is perhaps the reason they would appear to think alike.....genes, DNA and all that kind of science. |
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Post by roughrider on Oct 11, 2011 13:59:30 GMT 3
I want to be more practical here. What can we do - as Jukwaaists - to stop the Daily Nation from printing propaganda disguised as news or opinion?
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Post by kamalet on Oct 11, 2011 14:12:05 GMT 3
I want to be more practical here. What can we do - as Jukwaaists - to stop the Daily Nation from printing propaganda disguised as news or opinion? Pointless if you ask me... Jukwaa - 1600 Members Nation - 150,000 newspapers daily Jukwaa - 27,000 "lurkers and peeps" as someone called them Nation - 1.5 million readers Little influence on the Jukwaa front as you can see. But we could use the powers that be and that are known by certain jukwaa folk to have the newspaper banned in the alternative, jukwaa youthwingers could petrol bomb the paper - all of which is illegal and would not have much support here in Jukwaa! So just let the Nation be! |
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Post by akinyi2005 on Oct 11, 2011 16:34:06 GMT 3
sadik,
Why am i not surprised at your reaction? As a reminder this conference wasn't about the President of the US so cut the crap about me being hurt on his behalf. My beef with the DN is their attempt to deflect attention from the importance that many people attached to this conference through publishing the nonsense that just about every sensible person has condemned. What was their motivation?
We've been told that the 1st lady sent an apology and did not snub or ignore the invite so why harp on this and worse still call it a 'snub.' BTW don't you think DN should have mentioned Willy Mutunga and all invited guests who 'snubbed' the conference.
I don't wish to give the DN editors any satisfaction by engaging in endless and useless arguments on semantics for that was probably one of their intentions. I suggest you join the rest of us in focussing on what job has reported in the other thread. you might just realize there are Kenyans out here who have some very good strategies for getting our country out of the ICU if only we stopped the endless attempts to mantain the status quo by politicizing everything.
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Post by roughrider on Oct 11, 2011 17:37:36 GMT 3
I want to be more practical here. What can we do - as Jukwaaists - to stop the Daily Nation from printing propaganda disguised as news or opinion? Pointless if you ask me... Jukwaa - 1600 Members Nation - 150,000 newspapers daily Jukwaa - 27,000 "lurkers and peeps" as someone called them Nation - 1.5 million readers Little influence on the Jukwaa front as you can see. But we could use the powers that be and that are known by certain jukwaa folk to have the newspaper banned in the alternative, jukwaa youthwingers could petrol bomb the paper - all of which is illegal and would not have much support here in Jukwaa! So just let the Nation be! - its not about numbers, it's about the ideas. As you know Jesus changed the World with 12 men. Even a single person - armed with the right tools - can help change how the Nation does it work. I will refer you to the recent collapse of the News of the World, which was read by infinitely more people than the Nation. They fell because they resorted to dubious methods. If we went with your reasoning we cannot have much to discuss here for 99% of the discussions are on things that we have no direct control over. There are ways of improving how The Nation behaves. |
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Post by morimax on Oct 11, 2011 18:11:49 GMT 3
I want to be more practical here. What can we do - as Jukwaaists - to stop the Daily Nation from printing propaganda disguised as news or opinion? Pointless if you ask me... Jukwaa - 1600 Members Nation - 150,000 newspapers daily Jukwaa - 27,000 "lurkers and peeps" as someone called them Nation - 1.5 million readers Little influence on the Jukwaa front as you can see. But we could use the powers that be and that are known by certain jukwaa folk to have the newspaper banned in the alternative, jukwaa youthwingers could petrol bomb the paper - all of which is illegal and would not have much support here in Jukwaa! So just let the Nation be! Kamale your figures are right, however, at this point we may not need the number. eventually we will need them though. what we need now is dissemination of ideas and educating the world about the unethical, biased, journalism of NMG. Yes, the nation readers are more than the 1.5m you quoted, coz its read all over the world, I do read it from outside Kenya. These numbers are scattered all over to the advantage of those who want to change the NMG bad behaviour. This issue is not about JUKUWAAISTS, it is about all of us who want to see ethical fair journalism practised sustainbly, moreso in our beloved Kenya. By the way, NMG's behaviour is not a Jukuwaa reserve, its discussed in other blogs too. Kamalet, it is me and you to STEP UP. Remember the one step to 10,000kms. Remember the Napolian war. We nned each other to make the change. If at all you are a shareholder at NMG, we still need you so that we can make the good change. Do not support support evil it will cime back to bite. |
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Post by phil on Oct 11, 2011 18:22:22 GMT 3
I want to be more practical here. What can we do - as Jukwaaists - to stop the Daily Nation from printing propaganda disguised as news or opinion? Pointless if you ask me... Jukwaa - 1600 Members Nation - 150,000 newspapers daily Jukwaa - 27,000 "lurkers and peeps" as someone called them Nation - 1.5 million readers Little influence on the Jukwaa front as you can see. But we could use the powers that be and that are known by certain jukwaa folk to have the newspaper banned in the alternative, jukwaa youthwingers could petrol bomb the paper - all of which is illegal and would not have much support here in Jukwaa! So just let the Nation be! JUKWAA - 0 (NIL) Government of Kenya adverts NATION - Several tens of million shilling worth government adverts each year Jukwaa - only in 6th year of operation Nation - founded in 1959 by Aga Khan (one of the wealthiest fellows around) It's like comparing apples and oranges. |
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Post by kamalet on Oct 11, 2011 18:52:10 GMT 3
Phil
As you can see, you have no clue what I was comparing as was so easily understood by RR and Morimax.
My point....complete waste of time thinking that criticising DN editorial policy in Jukwaa would change it. The problem is that a single editorial on a one term US president who is perhaps the US equivalent of Kibaki who promised so much and delivered so little cannot be the basis to start the campaign. Just how many editorials has DN written for which many of the people here were praising as the epitome of journalism?
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Post by roughrider on Oct 11, 2011 18:58:40 GMT 3
Phil The problem is that a single editorial on a one term US president.... Will you perhaps eat your words one day? Nevertheless, the term of the presidency or your views about his performance are not defences for what Nation did... in that editorial. |
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