Kenyan media: Under pressure and in crisis

On The Listening Post this week: The screws are being tightened on Kenya’s media, but the fourth estate also has credibility issues. Plus, president Macron tries a new tack with French media.

Kenyan media: Under pressure and in crisis

Kenya is in the midst of a political power struggle and the country’s media outlets are at the heart of the story. Opposition leader Raila Odinga, out to challenge the legitimacy of President Uhuru Kenyatta, held a mock inauguration last week.

The Kenyatta government, eager to put the election story behind it, ordered the Kenyan media to ignore the alternative inauguration.

So when three privately-owned TV channels then tried to broadcast the event, the authorities pulled the plug on them.

Who is getting to decide what constitutes news in Kenya – journalists or politicians?

Contributors:
Joe Ageyo, managing editor, KTN News
Hanningtone Gaya, chair, Media Owners Association
Nanjala Nyabola, writer and political analyst
Patrick Gathara, cartoonist

On our radar

Richard Gizbert speaks to producer Tariq Nafi about:

• Youtube’s latest measures to counter misinformation online
• and the intensifying web crackdown in Egypt

France: Macron’s new media strategy 

During last year’s presidential election campaign, Emmanuel Macron was the darling of the French media.

However, their romance has since soured. The new president’s reluctance to engage with French journalists has made him appear aloof, distant and has made some contentious policies, that much harder to sell.

So Macron’s changing his approach, making himself more available.

We look at how Emmanuel Macron’s revamped media strategy is going down with France’s troublesome, and opinionated, fourth estate.

Contributors:
Elizabeth Martichoux, political editor, RTL
Daniel Schneidermann, media analyst, Arret Sur Images
Francois Jost, professor of communication, La Sorbonne University
Jean-Jerome Bertolus, political writer, L’Opinion
Francis Letellier, TV host, France 3