NTV news anchor and Swahili News editor Frederick Muititiri, on Tuesday, June 20, dismissed claims asserting that Nation Media Group (NMG) journalists were subjected to excessive pressure to produce and broadcast unfavorable stories about President William Ruto's administration.
In a statement, Muititiri defended NMG's editorial independence which he argued was free from outside interference and coercion from the political elite.
"Bulletins are collective ideas from reporters, editors and managing editors. At NTV, editors decide what is appropriate for our viewers, and without any consultation from whoever the politicians want to make you believe, we go ahead and execute," Muitiriri's statement read in part.
"I'm a Kiswahili news editor. Actually, most of my work is sitting at a certain desk & producing bulletins. I'm what we call in the media an output editor. This means I generate news and edit the final copies for on air transmission. Eventually, I make a lot of final decisions on what goes on air and at what point in the bulletin," he added.
Nation Editorial Policies
Muititiri highlighted the core principle of balance that Nation Africa, under NMG, has diligently fostered. He emphasised that equal airtime was accorded to all political actors, ensuring fairness in the coverage of diverse perspectives.
Additionally, he underlined the crucial role played by the media house in acting as gatekeepers, effectively curbing the dissemination of hate speech and divisive narratives that could fuel societal divisions.
Muititiri went on to narrate how these principles were strengthened in the lead-up to the 2022 General Election, during which President William Ruto and Azimio Candidate Raila Odinga were the frontrunners in the presidential race. The journalist went on to stress that the media house continued to apply the same high standards even after the Supreme Court upheld President William Ruto's win in 2022.
"If Kenya Kwanza had a rally and we covered it, it was mandatory to cover Azimio's. If we allocated 3 minutes to Azimio, the same was to be allocated to Kenya Kwanza.
The NTV anchor, whose use of the Swahili word "mpyaro" during the Monday, June 19 bulletin went viral, was widely perceived to be throwing a jab at Trade Cabinet Secretary Moses Kuria at the behest of his employer over the politician's continuous criticisms directed towards NMG journalists.
"In the events preceding elections and thereafter, no single boss has ever told me or any news editor what to air and what not to air," he insisted.
The statement came after sustained attacks on the media house led by CS Kuria. The CS threatened to withdraw all government advertisements from Nation Africa after the media house published damning reports implicating his ministry in the edible oil importation scandal.
Kuria further claimed that Nation was under pressure from a former President, who he did not mention, to publish negative stories on Kenya Kwanza. His sentiments were supported by ICT Chief Administrative Secretary Dennis Itumbi, who stated some reporters were forced to write negative stories about Ruto's government.
On his part, Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua also faulted the media house claiming it had gone rogue. He, however dismissed Kuria's sentiments on withdrawing adverts from Nation Africa.
Following the sustained attacks, several media stakeholders called on top officials in government to respect media freedom.
