Journalists need critical thinking to raise level of political talk

Economics as a subject has been renamed "the dismal science". In a book called Applied Economics by Thomas Sowell, the writer explains why: It deals with inescapable constraints and painful trade-offs instead of rhetoric, which many find attractive in politics and in the media.

Moreover, economics follows the unfolding consequences of decisions over time, not just what happens in stage one, which may indeed seem to fulfil the hopes that inspired the decisions.
Within 50 days of Donald Trump assuming power in The United States, he had dared the media with his "fake news" rhetoric.

On their part, American media woke up and purposely worked to qualify his statement as just another expression of disdain rather than a fact. The Republican Party failed to repeal and replace Obamacare. Behind this, a flurry of insightful articles helped the public understand what exactly the replacement would cost.

Behind-the-scenes reporting and sharp analysis of fissures among policy elites in the USA led even the Republican base to discover that, contrary to everything they had been led to expect, repeal imposed huge trade-offs. The bill failed.
In their reporting, the media banked on economics, which requires critical thinking.

While Kenya's mainstream media is not purposefully trying to retard our critical thinking, that is, sadly, the outcome. The few who point out a critically thought through idea are columnists. In this age of data explosion, the quick and easy news only risks leaving an audience in wretched penury of information.
Take the example of the saga surrounding Mombasa Governor Ali Hassan Joho.

I have so many questions running through my mind, I end up sounding like a conspiracy theorist. There is a question I always ask: "Then what?" Why would a government spend its effort to frustrating a governor? While Joho may have dared them, I believe there is more than meets the eye.

My theory starts from the fact that there is a bigger fish to fry: Joho poses no bigger a threat than Raila Odinga or even Kalonzo Musyoka. Stopping him from vying for the gubernatorial seat in Mombasa or campaigning on his turf adds no value to Jubilee. I think, farfetched as it is, that this is a plot with Deputy President William Ruto in mind.

Bar Joho and you have a stronger case to try barring Mike Sonko in Nairobi. This gives Peter Kenneth a stronger chance in the city, and we all know why Ruto should be scared of Kenneth beyond 2017. Too theoretical, right? Forget it.

In another story, a company called Simple Homes found its easy way into big pockets. Their owner was splashed on media pages and the blogosphere as a budding entrepreneur. Months after making away with an obscene fraud, we read reports about things which would have been basic checks.

This is fraud, but it could be worse. It could be a coded statement that incites a particular public, or a political machination in the offing. We can only see it if we think about it. We are in a year where, if we let "just anything" pass, we could miss out terribly.

The excitement in the political circles is deceiving, to say the least. Every "Tosha" declaration and every outburst has an undertone. The only people with the authority and skill to sieve gold from the murk are competent media.
In the coming months, however farfetched the media thinking gets, it is necessary. We stand in a gap where we need to think beyond superficial appearances.

We are surrounded by illusions, many of them deliberately created. The effects may be subtle, or they may affect us profoundly in this election and beyond.

For some political stories, it is easy to see that a story came out because a mainstream media source determined that it was newsworthy. Sometimes that editorial decision has more to do with what is sensational, entertaining, or popular.

After a story is reported, it is followed by another of equal magnitude and usually, we are left hanging. People believe stories because they are the ones available.
The media needs to question more than they report.