Media houses should only hire trained journalists

Many will say it’s none of my business and I know they are partially right because I’m not a journalism specialist. But what’s wrong in covering a brother’s back?

Well I’ll stand up today for my brothers. I mean the professional journalists (more so those lingering within the crowded field of joblessness).

I understand what it feels to be hungry when someone else is busy chucking your bread. Painful, very painful and so I’ll talk straight to the point. Sorry to those that I might prick their eyes in the course of my protest.

What’s happening in Kenya? That’s exactly what I wanted to ask. From nursery school (or pre unit, baby class blah blah for the recent breeds) it has been instilled in our minds that ‘education is the key’.

Yes, key! To open life doors of course. But why are the alleged doors closed yet we have the keys? Do we have the wrong keys? Wait, and why are the people who have NO keys already inside?

To break from the proverbial talks, let me get plain. The field of journalism in Kenya is full of non-journalists. Would the managers of the media houses answer me on this?

Why is the Media Council of Kenya not even trying to mediate on this? We’ve all seen KQ top executives toppled for ‘qualification’ reasons so why can’t this apply in media?

I know that you might be thinking that I’m wrong, jealous, or even stupid to say all these but could you take a second and be in the shoes of the jobless journalism graduates?

This is their field. Let comedians be comedians and journalists be journalists. Journalism is not all about sitting behind the mic and keeping listeners laughing all day.

Hello people, there are journalistic ethics taught in class. Something that the above named hardly apply. JOURNALISM IS DYING. Why do we train people then fail to employ anyway?

A humble plea from a non-journalist. Kenyan government, Media Council of Kenya, Media Houses, either solely or collectively, let’s be fair to our journalism graduates.

Can you imagine that one ’unqualified’ journalist, is the highest earning journalist in Kenya? And I’m talking of a figure higher than half- a-million per month (alleged to be Sh650, 000).

How fair is this to a first-class BSc. Communication and Journalism graduate giving free internship in some local radio station(I know one personally)?

And I said free (No payment at all). While the ‘unqualified’ gets over Sh500, 000 monthly. Is education still the key as you told us? And if yes, why are you making ‘master’ keys for other people behind our backs?

And don’t mistake me when I talk of ‘unqualified’. They might be qualified in other fields but not journalism.

Let’s make a good society. Let’s appreciate our professionals. Now you know. But will you act?

Let’s pump in some oxygen to the dying ‘journalism’: employ professionals. Make Journalism great again.