Don’t trust these ‘social media activists’: They are sellout carpers!

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Don’t trust these ‘social media activists’: They are sellout carpers!
Don’t trust these ‘social media activists’: They are sellout carpers!

Africa-Press – Malawi. The enthralling aspect with journalism in this digital age is that its space, today, has opened to any person with a smartphone and, of course, a bundle.

We no longer have to wait for Zodiak, or Times or MBC to tell us breaking news. In fact, you can’t even talk about waiting for daily newspaper a morning after.

We get much of both breaking news and news analysis on social media through any person who has a combination of three critical things: access to news source, a smartphone and a bundle.

To mean, anyone with access to the news source, has a smartphone and a bundle can be a ‘journalist’ who can break news and, also, analyze it using the digital space of social media.

To give you a practical aspect, let me give you a context of most of the key people that define social media influence in Malawi. They define social media influence because they are mostly followed and they are often posting something.

Onjezani Kenani and Charles Ulaya are both accountants but they are, with 24-hour ruthless streak of a journalist, always breaking news and analyzing it.

Idris Ali Nassah is a political scientist though with an experience of years in a newsroom—writing opinion and editing. Negracious ‘Lord Denning SC’ Austin is a land surveyor. Excess ‘Mikozi’ Chiligo is a marketer. Bob Chimkango is a lawyer.

Gerald ‘GCK Camera’ Kampanikiza is just a loyal member of Joyce Banda’s People’s Party (PP). Yamikani Kachingwe is a waiter at some restaurant in Cape Town. Gogo Gowoka is just a loyal member of Malawi Congress Party (MCP). Orama Namalomba is just a member of UTM.

From the sample given, it is evident that it’s only Idriss who, at least, has had some years in the business of news. Of course Kenani is a reputable write. The rest—negligible.

However, we would be lying to ourselves if we choose to ignore the impact the names given above have had in news generation, analysis and influence. The names above there have done so much in unearthing hidden dirt, analyzing and, of course, shaping public opinion. They deserve our applaud.

However, though such names have been influential here and there, I must underline here that most of them, if not all, need not be entirely trusted because they are errand boys and girls of serving interests of some masters somewhere.

I repeat: Most of them, if not all of them, are not pushing narratives in the best interest of the general public. There is always a master behind defining their narrative.

If you note, they don’t call themselves journalists; rather, ‘social media activists’ because, as it is the case with activists, they tow a line of the person pushing a certain interest somewhere.

This is why in listening to what they always post, don’t take it as gospel truth. These social media activists are obsolete sellouts and, without a word minced, absolute carpers—fault finders.

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