This archive report was first published on 3 July 2020.
As I write this, the media sector in Kenya is facing one of its darkest moments. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought unprecedented economic hardship, and nearly every sector of the economy is in dire need of a bailout.
However, the media, which play a crucial role in shaping public opinion and holding those in power accountable, have been left out of the government's relief efforts.
It's a special kind of hell, having to sit down with colleagues and tell them that you can no longer afford to keep them. For each one of them, it's another family plunged into the abyss of economic chaos, uncertainty, and the ever-present risk of poverty.
The trajectory of media losses is unsustainable, and if left unchecked, it will lead to a high risk of continued contraction, job losses, financial losses to investors, and the loss of institutional media.
Institutional media are large corporations with the muscle to marshal expertise, technology, and capital to achieve world-class standards and high levels of competition. That's how countries develop.
Without a bailout, our society will lose cultural influence, and our ability to police, control, remove, and install governments will be severely impaired.
General education, giving people facts and truths about their world, is one of the most important functions of the media. It's also the first to suffer the effects of economic hardship.
As the author notes, 'If you thought institutional media were
