Attention KOT, VibeWeekly, Niaje, Daily Post, SDE And Other Online Media.This Is For You
A while before Christmas last year we got a Christmas present that we did not expect.
A certain radio personality went public with a legal letter addressed to one of our writers that only served to warn us to take down a story.
Vibeweekly picked up the story and I could tell that they were pretty excited on airing the story, since they wrote that “Ghafla is getting sued,” when in reality, we have received no court summons to date. I think they probably threw a party and slaughtered a few goats while chanting “Die Ghafla, Die! “
That is the Achilles heel of online media, we do not stick together.
Traditional media sticks together on legal issues. For example remember how Kenyan media houses put aside their differences to protest the ‘draconian’ media bill. Look how KTN, Citizen and NTV protested digital migration as a force. This is because ‘old media’ have legal experience and they are aware how one frivolous legal action can lead to an avalanche of punitive legal decisions. Look at the multimillion shilling lawsuits politicians have won against newspapers TV and radio over the years. One of these lawsuits even led to the demise of one of Kenya’s most celebrated publications, the Kenya Times, because in the early days, the print media never used to stick together.
Currently, online media is free and has avoided legal harassment but thing might change in future if the government decides to train its disciplinary eye on the internet. I believe that online media should stick together because if one of us falls, soon enough we will all start falling like dominoes. We should even stand with Robert Alai, despite his scathing personality, because if he is indicted for a tweet, what about the other troll tweeps? Their asses will be on the line too.
So what am I saying? If a lawsuit follows any online media or personality, Kenya’s internet citizens ought to be mindful of gleefully pointing fingers, because ukiona mwenzako ananyolewa,tia kichwa chako maji
