NTV Reveals How It Came Up With Smriti Vidyarthi's Viral Memo To CS Kuria

On Monday, June 19, NTV news anchor, Smriti Vidyarthi wowed millions of viewers on television and on social media platforms thanks to her eloquent memo thought by many to have stung Trade Cabinet Secretary (CS) Moses Kuria, who sparked uproar owing to his remarks against the Nation Media Group (NMG).

Her cold-hard memo towards the CS in President William Ruto's administration was the memorable conclusion of an entire day filled with statements from media stakeholders across the country following his threats to fire any government official who places an advertisement on NMG.

However, did you know that it took a behind-the-scenes effort that led to one of the most brutal statements of the memo to the CS being "The CS must be reminded tonight that the media as an institution predates his short political career and will outlast his fleeting ministerial job by many generations."?

How NTV Came Up With Hard-Hitting Memo

Speaking to Viral Tea, sources highly placed at the regional media house noted that the memo was the result of a team effort involving NTV's editors and anchors in coming up with a script fit enough for a ruthless clap back at the Trade CS.

In addition, the memo has been in place for quite a while, some likening it almost to Citizen TV's Newsgang punchlines at the end of the Thursday show, though for NTV, the memos were merely editorial pieces packaged into a format for TV audiences.

"It's been there for long, the memo. But it's just an editorial op-ed in electronic format," the source told Viral Tea.

Smriti's memo though was the hard-hitting version compared to the cheeky jab the TV station threw at the CS during its 7 pm news bulletin by NTV news anchor and Swahili News editor Frederick Muititiri through the use of the word "mpyaro".

"Mpyaro" was defined as someone with a tendency of talking in a dirty language (mtu mwenye tabia ya kuongea lugha chafu), a Swahili word that went viral across the country in minutes, perceived by many as throwing a jab at Kuria at the behest of NMG over the politician's continuous criticisms towards its journalists. 

Advice to CS Moses Kuria on how not to mess with Kenyan media, especially Nation Media Group and NTV

????: @FredMuitiriri / @ntvkenya #ViralVideos pic.twitter.com/H5CSNVRQPQ — Viral Tea Ke (@ViralTeaKe) June 19, 2023

NTV On Being Forced To Air Negative Stories About Ruto

On Tuesday, June 20, Muitiriri dismissed claims of NMG journalists being arm-twisted to produce and broadcast unfavourable stories about President Ruto's administration and offered his followers a glimpse of the inner workings of NMG's editorial independence which he argued was free from outside interference and coercion from the political elite

"Bulletins are collective ideas from reporters, editors and managing editors. At NTV, editors decide what is appropriate for our viewers, and without any consultation from whoever the politicians want to make you believe, we go ahead and execute.

"I'm a Kiswahili News Editor. Actually, most of my work is sitting at a certain desk & producing bulletins. I'm what we call in the media an output editor. This means I generate news and edit the final copies for on-air transmission. Eventually, I make a lot of final decisions on what goes on air and at what point in the bulletin," Muitiriri explained on Twitter.

The news anchor, who worked as a police officer, described his experience after joining NMG prior to the 2022 general elections, opening up on the core principle of balance that Nation Africa, under NMG, has developed for years.

This meant according equal airtime to all political actors by ensuring fair coverage across different perspectives as well as the editorial director reminding journalists to be mindful of what was stated by politicians as well as aired to ensure fairness and curb the dissemination of hate speech and divisive narratives that had the potential to split the entire country into two.

"If Kenya Kwanza had a rally and we covered it, it was mandatory to cover Azimio's. If we allocated 3 minutes to Azimio, the same was to be allocated to Kenya Kwanza. This, I can promise you, without fear or doubt, was followed to the letter! And I can confidently say, NTV had the most fair coverage in the country.

NMG Editorial Independence

"In the events preceding elections and thereafter, no single boss has ever told me or any news editor what to air and what not to air. No one has ever sent us any story saying, "That must air". You can choose to believe this villager or your favourite politician. Bulletins are collective ideas from reporters, editors and managing editors. At NTV, editors decide what is appropriate for our viewers and without any consultation from whoever the politicians want to make you believe, we go ahead and execute," he added.

The statement came amidst sustained attacks by CS Kuria on the media house after it published a damning report implicating his ministry in the edible oil importation scandal.

The CS also went on to claim that the stories were coined by the editors of the Twin Towers, Nairobi-based media house and its bosses in a scheme he claimed was bankrolled by a former Head of State he did not name.

Supporting him was ICT Chief Administrative Secretary Dennis Itumbi who alleged that some NMG reporters were coerced to write negative stories about President Ruto's government.

Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua also faulted the media house for allegedly going rogue, though he did disagree with Kuria regarding withdrawing adverts from Nation Africa.

On Wednesday, June 21, the CS declared that he would not issue any apology to Nation Media Group while claiming that the media house should apologise to one of its journalists whom he alleged had threatened to fire for writing a balanced story.

"I am not apologising. I've been a media owner before and I've been a writer in your newspapers before. There is nobody who is pro-media more than me but I know the difference between media and what Thomas Baldwin called the prerogative of the harlot, the exercise of power without responsibility," he addressed journalists.