NTV News Anchor Smriti Vidyarthi called on President William Ruto to take action against his ally and Kericho Senator Aaron Cheruiyot’s remarks that the media was a ‘powerful and influential cartel’.
Speaking during a 9:00 pm bulletin on Monday, March 6, Vidyarthi expressed concerns regarding Cheruiyot’s statement noting that it was a threat to the media.
She noted that by calling on the President to crush the media, the lawmaker meant to degenerate the media and delegitimise it.
“We choose to understand the word crushing on its plain meaning which is compressing or squeezing something forcefully to break, damage or distort its shape.
“If crushing things is a government policy, then there is surely no shortage of things to crush like the high cost of living, high fuel prices, the price of unga, the free fall of the shilling. That would be a good place to start,” the News anchor stated.
Additionally, the journalist added that the constitution gave provisions that protected the media and advocated for media freedom.
Moreover, Vidyarthi told Cheruiyot to convey his concerns through the Media Complaints Commission - an institution created to address complaints about the media.
“As a lawmaker, Cheruiyot ought to know that the media is not just a business. It is directly linked to the canal of a democratic society in its plurality and totality," she pointed out.
However, the anchor added that the incident was not isolated, noting that “Deputy president Rigathi Gachagua has never hidden his impatience with the media that he saw as an inconvenience rather than a legitimate player in Kenya's democratisation journey.”
Vidyarthi, therefore, called on President William Ruto to distance himself from the remarks adding that otherwise, he would seem to agree with utterances that would take away the people’s freedom of speech and expression.
“Right now he would do well to come out and unequivocally disown these statements. For as long as he remains silent, so long will these doubts linger and so long will this misguided mindset continue to find a place in the government and the country at large,” the news presenter added.
Senator Cheruiyot responded to the NTV bulletin opener noting that his remarks were twisted by the media to buy freedom and silence critics.
“So powerful are the cartels in our media houses that when I called them out today, NTV dedicated over 10 mins of prime time twisting on it. Ethical media practice died in Kenya and we must fight to restore it,” Cheruiyot stated.
Moreover, the Kenya Editor's Guild addressed the matter stating that Cheruiyot's statement was reckless noting that all leaders had a duty to promote the rule of law.
