Media must keep on lighting fires under government to keep it awake

Journalists at a past event. [File, Standard]

Before the advent of social media, conventional media acted as the sole purveyor of government policies. Media articulates these policies, interprets them in ways that all citizens would understand, then releases the information to the public through print and electronic media.

On its own, the government lacks the extensive reach that media has, yet rather than embrace media and recognise it as an impartial player in good governance, it is assailed by the green-eyed monster and treats media as an enemy. Under the Kenya Kwanza government, hate against the media has intensified, with journalists bearing the brunt of State harassment.