A week before Kenya’s General Elections, global News Channels CNN, was under serious attack by Kenyans on Twitter #KOT after it aired a feature on Kenyan militias in training incase violence broke out. In an interview, CNN Vice President and Managing Editor, Europe, Middle East and Africa Deborah Rayner stood her ground and strongly defended CNN Kenya election feature ‘social media attacks’ and recognized that Kenya had a successful democratic elections. Ms Rayner also revealed desires to include other languages such as Swahili in CNN African Journalist of the year Award.
Why is Africa, more so Kenya a key market for CNN?
Africa has always been important for us, both from the point of view of our audiences on the continent, and the growing influence of Africa in the world. It’s an exciting, dynamic, vibrant and diverse place, which makes it endlessly fascinating from an editorial point of view; but countries such as Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa are also global players now. Kenya has enormous potential in that context. From an economic, cultural and political perspective, this is a very exciting time for this country – especially following the recent successful democratic elections, which further enhanced Kenya’s reputation globally.
What is your stand on accusation that CNN has been misreporting facts on the ground in regards to Kenya?
We absolutely refute this, in the strongest possible terms. We have followed many, many different stories in Kenya from different perspectives, and done so with the utmost attention to fairness, balance and accuracy, as anyone who has watched our coverage will attest.
CNN Journalist of the year Awards will celebrate 18 years in 2013. What are the positive contributions that have the project achieved?
When the African Journalist Awards were first conceived our intention was to provide a global platform to recognise the hard work and commitment of African journalists. I think the awards have absolutely achieved that aim. They’ve brought some hugely talented individuals onto a larger stage and helped to nurture and encourage that talent. I think they can continue to play a role in shaping freedom of speech and a healthy, vibrant media on the continent. The Awards are an ongoing commitment and investment in Africa; we are very proud to be part of such a worthwhile project.
Still on the CNN AJA, several critics have discredited the jury arguing that they are biased to mainstream media in Kenya and that they don’t reward Swahili entries. What is your take?
It’s completely wrong to say that we are biased towards mainstream media in Kenya or that Kenyan journalists within Kenya feel that the competition lacks credibility. Our 2011 overall winner was Fatuma Noor from Kenya, and the overall winners in 2012 were Kenyans: Tom Mboya and Evanson Nyaga. The judges make their decisions based on entries from across full spectrum of media – radio, TV, print and online.
At the moment the AJA competition is unable to accept entries in Swahili. This is something we’d very much like to change, and it’s something that is discussed constantly by the judges. It would be a huge undertaking to include more languages such as Swahili in the competition, and not something to which we are able to commit at this stage, but the desire is there.
Is there a likelihood of CNN opening a Studio in Nairobi as your competitors have done?
We’re constantly reviewing our on the ground operations and bureaux arrangements. At the moment we have no plans to open a studio in Nairobi, but we have a correspondent based permanently in the city, and there is no question that both Nairobi and Kenya as a whole will be a big part of any future plans we make as a network.
In the past two decades, CNN has launched products that are tailor made for Africa. What informed the decision? Please highlight the success of the projects?
We have three programmes dedicated to Africa, each with a different editorial perspective. Marketplace Africa looks at the business landscape here, examining the success stories, the challenges, and the opportunities found across the continent. African Voices is an interview-based show that brings some of the most interesting and intriguing characters from a range of backgrounds and fields to our audiences worldwide. We’ve had musicians, business people, politicians, sports men and women, actors, each with their own stories to tell. Then Inside Africa takes a look at cultural stories from all over the continent. We travel to different countries, regions and cities to bring a broad picture of the diversity that makes Africa so special and unique. We think these programmes make for great content, alongside our news coverage they bring a full picture of Africa to the world, and they also provide audiences in Africa with a fuller picture of the rest of their continent. The shows have a very enthusiastic following, and we’re very proud of them. There is more to come. Watch this space.
The latest independent research confirmed that CNN is the #1 international media brand in Africa, but in Kenya majority of pay-tv viewers can’t access CNN due to the exclusivity that DStv has with CNN. How are you addressing this issue?
CNN has a longstanding relationship with DStv and they are making strides to extend their reach outside South Africa. This is an exciting time for Pay TV development in Africa as a whole and we are watching the developments in the industry with interest. I think the strength of our online relationship with our audiences in Africa is also fundamental here; many Kenyans access our content via CNN.com and we have a very loyal audience on TV, online and mobile – in fact this kind of multiplatform engagement with CNN applies across the continent.
Do you believe that CNN has impacted on the Kenyan economy compared to your competitors? Kindly, expound?
I’m not sure why anyone would say CNN has impacted the Kenyan economy specifically. Our coverage of Kenya is broad and always fair. We have covered business, the arts, sport and culture in Kenya, encompassing a wide range of important areas, from tourism to the political landscape and matters of security, as well as recognising the entrepreneurial energy and opportunities Africa offers economically. We approach all of these stories with a desire to present a balanced and true picture and offer a wide-ranging view of the country, its people and the issues that matter.
What do you find unique about the Kenyan market?
Kenya is in a good place right now. It looks to have overcome the divisions that were exposed during the previous election, and the fact that the recent ballot passed relatively peacefully is extremely encouraging. This is a country with a bright future, well located geographically and blessed with great natural beauty, as well as a young and entrepreneurial population. Personally I love coming to Kenya, it has a unique atmosphere and is such a vibrant, dynamic and friendly place.
