Night of the long knives that never was or how the media were played

Fred Matiang’i’s story on how his home was allegedly attacked by police on Wednesday last week was imaginatively told.

No images of the night attack were published and, this week, on Wednesday, police broke into the home of the former Interior cabinet secretary to retrieve the CCTV images of last week’s events.

This week’s break-in took place in broad daylight and in the full glare of the media. It’s now likely, barring any legal challenges, the images of last week’s events will be made public. Regardless, we’re concerned about how the media reported the alleged attack last week.

Mark Koskei wrote to complain that the Nation employed the words “night of the long knives” in its headlines. “I find it distasteful, considering [that] the historical event known as The Night of the Long Knives refers to Adolf Hitler's murderous purge and consolidation of power within the Nazi regime,” he said.

Meshack Wafula, on the other hand, complained that the media “didn’t show us photos or video clips” of the alleged attack, in which it was said the police intended to arrest Dr Matiang’i. “Videos could have communicated a lot,” said the media student at Rongo University. He wondered why other arrests of high-profile personalities pictures are shown but not in this one.

Images are important in journalistic storytelling. They furnish evidence that an event occurred. It’s reasonable to assume that the media would have published the images if they had them.

The regulatory body, the Media Council of Kenya (MCK), however, seems to think otherwise. On Saturday, it issued a press statement saying it had requested the media to provide the council with the footage they had collected.

MCK said it was “concerned by the refusal by the media to provide actual footage or photos…yet they were at the scene.” Providing the images, CEO David Omwoyo said, “will clarify the matter to the public”.

Mr Koskei’s” complaint on the use of the set phrase “night of the long knives” is a more complex affair striking at the soul of journalism as a discipline of verification--of finding and presenting “the facts and also the right facts” about a story—and writing headlines that grab the attention of the reader but remain truthful.

Explosive and startling

The Nation.Africa headline on Wednesday was explosive: “Night of long knives: Fred Matiang’i under police siege.” The print Nation headline on Thursday was startling: “Matiang’i under police siege.” It was accompanied by a subheading (text placed under a headline that expands on it) that read: “Night of long knives.”

Mr Koskei is right about the meaning and origins of the phrase. The Night of the Long Knives was a purge that took place in Nazi Germany.

Hitler wanted to consolidate his power and settle old scores. His perceived enemies were executed on the night of June 30, 1934. Then followed a series of extrajudicial killings, in which scores of officials were assassinated. The Night of the Long Knives was a turning point in the history of Germany. It established Hitler as the supreme ruler.

The phrase, even when used generally as an idiom, has the underlying meaning of a purge, a jungle out there, in which opponents (in a regime or party) are killed or removed. It’s an act of vengeance, ruthlessness, against rivals or opponents. Can the phrase be correctly used to describe events at the Karen home of Dr Matiang’i?

Just about the only event in Kenya that can truly be described as “The Night of the Long Knives” is the Lari Massacre. On the night of Thursday, March 26, 1953, Mau Mau fighters, using swords and long knives, slaughtered Chief Luka and members of his family for collaborating with the British colonial rulers.

That the Nation used the idiom is a demonstration of the pitfalls of reporting a breaking story without direct knowledge. It also demonstrates the willingness of journalists and editors in general not to allow little inconveniences--such as stopping to verify instead of trying to be the first with the news--to get in the way of what looks like a good story.

That’s why Dr Matiang’i’s associates--Raila Odinga spokesperson Dennis Onyango, ODM communication director Philip Etale, media-savvy advocate Danstan Omari and his “battery of more than 200 lawyers”--found it just so easy to play the media.

The Public Editor is an independent news ombudsman who handles readers’ complaints on editorial matters, including accuracy and journalistic standards. Email: [email protected]. Call or text 0721989264