Two stories have caught my attention in the Aga Khan owned rag. One writes about Raila being invited to lecture and meet US officials in the US. Another speaks of
"Raila Wants Sharing of Jobs to be in Referendum".To a casual reader, this is plain and innocent information. Let us look at it with some depth:
In the Lectures story, it is rather plain. The concluding statement says it all:
The trip comes at a time President Barack Obama has begun opening up to President Uhuru Kenyatta.Need I explain the undercurrents in the statement? The street readers will get their message raw and simple: Raila is going to the US to ruin the good relations between Uhuru and Obama. You can have your own interpretation if you will.
In the second, it starts and end with the headline:
Raila wants sharing of jobs to be in referendumRemember Ngengi Muigai's speech at Mungai's funeral? The image of Raila demanding to share power. The fact that Kibaki was forced to share power which to most GEMA was won fairly and to me and others was stolen, remains a running theme of certain discussions between Nyooba people. Let me try to be fair: The body of the story is balanced and informative (within the poor reporting standards of our newspapers). However the headline is totally misleading.
I will finish with this:
Drug barons now use car bazaars as storesIt is accompanies by a huge photo of County Commissioner Marwa and Governor Joho. The entire story does not contain the word "Joho" nor is any references made to the said Joho. Not a word. Yet his photo is prominently displayed under that stigmatizing headline.
Now if you wish to see more of the Nation's games, start examining the photos of Raila and other proponents of the referendum as we move closer to the vote. Just like Saba Saba, the photos will be close, will pronounce the birthmarks and other blemishes. This will be contrasted with airbrushed photos of Uhuru.
Links:
http://www.nation.co.ke/news/politics/Raila-wants-sharing-of-jobs-to-be-in-referendum/-/1064/2468188/-/11i6qem/-/index.htmlhttp://www.nation.co.ke/news/Raila-invited-to-the-US-to-give-speeches/-/1056/2468206/-/f7c1hg/-/index.htmlhttp://www.nation.co.ke/news/Mombasa-Drugs-Trafficking-Car-Bazaars/-/1056/2466660/-/en3e4z/-/index.html