'Why Arunga's story left me with a bad taste in the mouth'

Feedback on letters to the editor

Having read the editor’s note in the Daily Nation of July 12, 2019 on the secret to getting letters published, I could not help but wholeheartedly agree with the statements and conclusions drawn by the editorial team.

Certainly, the quality of writing makes it easier on the editorial team, and once one has honed the skill of fitting the crux of the matter in a clear and concise way, the chances of getting published greatly increase.

Trial and error on the part of the contributor might help the learning process but, definitely, this piece contributed by the editor, as an element of feedback, will go a long way in educating potential future contributors.

Also, in highlighting the “honours board” of contributors, I wanted to bring to light another set of authors who have enjoyed your favour, like me. However, we prefer to keep our privacy and have written under multiple aliases.

It is not easy to keep statistics on “us”. However, if I may blow my own trumpet, over the past 10 years, I have written 17 letters and got six published. That’s a publication-submission ratio of about 35 per cent.

Given that I write one to three articles a year, I’m averaging on at least one published a year. That’s pretty good, in my opinion, and reflects quality on both sides — submission and review.

How are journalists trained?

I read your piece on Nation journalists telling off critics in crude terms with a mixture of shock, amusement and horror (“Get a life! When annoyed writers tell off readers questioning them” — Daily Nation, July 12).

How are journalists recruited, trained and retained? If I walked into Nation Centre on a good day, will I encounter Kenya’s best brain trust?

There is a way in which sheer intelligence makes you safe in your skin and able to deal with and manage a well-reasoned critique. I will wager my last coin that, if you landed in London any chilly day and were in need of intellectual banter, just look for any BBC lady or guy.

An intellectual, other than being acquainted with ideas, must be comfortable supporting and defending those same ideas over and above giving us a reasoned account of our world from their perspective.

Arunga story didn’t meet expectations

I have a bone to pick with the Daily Nation over the manner in which they reported the story of embattled former TV personality Esther Arunga.

The story was splashed on the front page with the headline, “Arunga faces 25 years in prison”. The writer then went on to describe her woes ever since her husband was charged with the mysterious death of their son and her recent admission to a court that she lied about the incident to shield her spouse.

The story begins with this sentence: “She had it all, was the face of ambition and achievement …” Well, this statement already sets forth a certain narrative, that of her downfall, and deviates from the main feature, that of her admission to being an accomplice to crime.

When I picked up the paper to read that story, I just wanted to find out about the admission and lawsuits and subsequent trials, et cetera. But suddenly this author unleashes her past woes (That ship had sailed!)

The heavy nature of the crime notwithstanding, that story left me with a bad taste in the mouth.