AFRICA NAZARENE UNIVERSITY

DEPARTMENT OF MASS COMMUNICATION

MEDIA LAW

COM 304

LECTURER: DR. STEPHEN SANYA

JOURNALISTS AND THE RULE OF LAW

MARIAN MUMBI NJOROGE

17G01AMC027

DUE DATE: 3/03/2020

 Journalists and the rule of law.
In the court system. the media strives to bring information to the public while ensuring that
individuals get a fair trial. A journalist given a court reporting assignment should at least try to
be familiar with court language such as the case, which is a civil proceeding against a person, the
bar, the bench and others. They should also be conversant with the record keeping systems and
ensure that the information that they write is accurate for instance, double check dates, ages and
the names of those involved. The journalist should also provide enough background evidence to
the reader without infringing on the right to privacy of those involved.

In the criminal process, the accused is arrested and can plead guilty, which in this case the
duration of the court case is reduced, not guilty, where a court will set a date for the hearing or
decide to remain silent, which in most cases, suspects prefer not to do. The suspect will only be
allowed to state their side of the story if the court finds it that he or her has a case to answer and
if not, the case is thrown out of court. In civil matters the defendant is expected to pay the
claimant in form of money for damages that they are found guilty of. However, if the defendant
is found innocent, they can require the claimant to pay them in any damages that may have
befallen them due to the claim.

A journalist should also know about the court hierarchy system. The supreme court is the highest
system, whose main role is to listen to cases pertaining to elections of a president. It is followed
by the court of appeal, which hears appeals from the high court and then the high court, which
can listen to all civil and criminal cases. The subordinate courts are the court martial for the
armed forces and the Khadhi court for Islamic disputes.

The media acts as a means where its audience get to air their views while still getting crucial
information they need. The audience have a personal relationship with the media since they
assume a personal relationship with the presenters and are more likely to believe information
given to them by a face that they trust. In this light, the media has a great influence on the
citizens when it comes to the electoral process since they can directly speak to ordinary people
who have the power to vote. The media has the power to shape and to change the political
spectrum. The media includes newspapers, magazines, the radio, TV and even the internet,
which has a growing number of users every day. However, the print media continues to lose
readers every day due to the inflated cost of living. Getting information from newspapers is
considered a luxury that most people cannot afford. There are several leading daily newspapers
and monthly magazines that shape the attitudes, opinions and behavior of the public. In the 2007
election, mobile media is said to have spread fear and hysteria among the people, which in turn
escalated the violence that happened there after. The media was also used to rally supporters for
different presidential candidates.

The media allows citizens to participate in free will by arming them with all the necessary tools
that they need in order to make informed decisions. The media provides surveillance of the
social-political environment, enabling a dialogue for a range of views, holding officials to
account and educating the citizens on the options before them. However, the media is also a
business and has an interest in championing businesses that will benefit them and may end up
portraying a voice that is tilted in favor of select positions. The media is also influenced into
championing business owners that support them and social elites. Also, due to the converging
ownerships, the media instead of being part of the community end up being closed off, and the
citizens never get to see what goes on in the newsroom or how any of their stories are chosen
while others are rejected.

However, media is still one of the easiest ways where citizens get to be informed on the
happening of the political scene in a simplified way so that a wide variety of people from
different educational backgrounds can all be a part of the election process. However, the media
scene falls short in that they create their headlines with a violence or war like undertone for
example, ‘President uhuru Declares ‘war’ on hon. Raila. This ay as well be interpreted as one
tribe having war with another tribe, which rattles Kenya’s delicate tribal lines. Also, showcasing
some political leaders more favorably than others in order to win them favor defeats the whole
purpose of democracy since a democratic political scene and election can not take place where
there are half truths and outright biases.