The Standard Media Group is accused of overcharging the government for advertising, which is unacceptable and goes against accountability and transparency standards.
KBC has aired and promoted educational programmes on Frontline, fostering and promoting education across the country.
Rich private media companies now place a far higher priority on profits than on credibility. This raises serious concerns about providing Kenyans with accurate news.
Being a major media advertiser, the government employs its financial clout as a reward and punishment system. The media primarily rely on advertising to fund their operations.
Concerns about unethical labour practices and unpaid labour arise from reports of unfair labour practices by private media, which are not present at KBC.
However, jobs are at risk because of the government’s choice to limit commercials to its national broadcaster in nations like Kenya, where there are few big private advertisers.
The government cannot afford Standard Media Group’s high advertising fees in comparison to KBC’s, as alleged by state officials as an example.
If a government wants to create jobs, then making unnecessary redundancies is not a wise course of action.
Due to the spiral effect, students hoping to enter the media industry will need to reconsider their ability to get through the strict entrance requirements in order to apply for the few positions that are open.
Governments use advertising as a tool to influence and control the stories that the media tells. It is only reasonable to assume that the media must support the government in any way possible to avoid biting their own hand in food.
In this sense, the prevailing headlines will be able to scream about the sponsorship source. In essence, citizens are forced to consume government propaganda disseminated through neutral terminology.