The New York Times is back in the Kenyans online radar after publishing a job ad for their Nairobi Bureau Chief advertisement on LinkedIn.
The job ad includes sentences such as “the deserts of Sudan and the pirate seas of the Horn of Africa, down through the forests of Congo and the shores of Tanzania” which are reminiscent of colonial ads for settlers. It is clear from the ad what New York Times thinks of the region and the stories they intend for the holder of the post to cover.
The job ad reads;
“Our Nairobi bureau chief has a tremendous opportunity to dive into news and enterprise across a wide range of countries, from the deserts of Sudan and the pirate seas of the Horn of Africa, down through the forests of Congo and the shores of Tanzania. It is an enormous patch of vibrant, intense and strategically important territory with many vital story lines, including terrorism, the scramble for resources, the global contest with China and the constant push-and-pull of democracy versus authoritarianism. The ideal candidate should enjoy jumping on news, be willing to cover conflict, and also be drawn to investigative stories. There is also the chance to delight our readers with unexpected stories of hope and the changing rhythms of life in a rapidly evolving region.”
The New York Times has historically covered Kenya with a racist lens and they seem intent in upholding that legacy. Former New York Times bureau chief Jeffrey Gettleman led this focus with stories of war and nostalgic stories of what Africa used to be.
Thereafter Kimiko de Freytas-Tamura was appointed to the position and her first story featured dead bodies from the tragic Dusit terrorist attack. After online uproar, she claimed that it was a New York Times policy to show dead bodies of victims of terror attacks. The New York Times editorial board backed her despite there being evidence that it wasn’t true based of their previous coverage of terror attacks in the US and Europe. She later withdrew from the her position after a petition was launched online and later filed with the Media Council of Kenya.
Here are some of the reactions online to the New York Times job ad
The @nytimes’ job ad for Nairobi bureau chief says a lot about the kinds of stories they want from Eastern Africa… pic.twitter.com/esEeOMI18l
— Ken Opalo (@kopalo) July 3, 2019
Nothing there about the mobile money transformation taking place in rapidly digitizing economy (now that we've got research proving mobile money helps with formalization)? Not a peep about East Africa the fastest growing region on the continent? What about innovation? Marathons?
— The Prepaid Economic Ecosystem (@prepaid_africa) July 3, 2019
Anyways, a good time to re-share the update on the Kenyans case against the New York Times and Kimiko here https://t.co/dn1m1Xc987 they clearly are still hell-bent on their dark continent dehumanising narratives cc @nyakabs pic.twitter.com/zSg2k3VuUP
— Muthoni Maingi (@NonieMG) July 4, 2019
OK, I'm done. Officially done. ????@aleyakassam @Laura_Ekumbo and @tweetmoraa you have made my day!
For @nytimes. Hopefully clownery will recognize clownery. pic.twitter.com/gkOxL3sIKj
— Christine Mungai (@chris_mungai) July 4, 2019
The @nytimes are seeking a replacement Nairobi Bureau Chief to reinforce their paternalistic, fetishizing correspondent gaze. Here's an ad to help them get the right person for the job (using actual text from the job posting). Apply at https://t.co/7xXD8nfTEc #BureauChiefNiWewe pic.twitter.com/PoQUXNeoxs
— Jim Chuchu (@jimchuchu) July 5, 2019
As a lifelong African, I’m overjoyed that a benevolent New York Times correspondent will soon patrol our pirate seas & deserts, occasionally telling our unexpected stories of hope. I live for the white gaze https://t.co/7t6IJjyf3C
— Larry Madowo (@LarryMadowo) July 4, 2019
Think I found someone who meets the New York Times' East Africa Bureau Chief's job description pic.twitter.com/flHBJorXn5
— Ryan Cummings (@Pol_Sec_Analyst) July 4, 2019
The @nytimes is trying to hire Tintin. https://t.co/3036BeV4vC
— Daniel de Kadt (@dandekadt) July 4, 2019
Advert for a @nytimes Nairobi bureau chief illustrated. pic.twitter.com/YOTsfpuMah
— Thierry Uwamahoro (@ThierryU) July 4, 2019
As I've said before, I don't think the paper should base a correspondent in Nairobi, precisely because foreign journalism there for too long has been steeped in paradigms like these, and they are self reinforcing, given the dense presence of fellow Western journos and NGOs. https://t.co/9R1Jd1Zkmu
— Howard French (@hofrench) July 3, 2019
The New York Times hiring Nairobi Bureau Chief in Kenya | LinkedIn. Clearly there hasn't been much rethinking of Africa coverage. h/t @kopalo https://t.co/uzAaj877XB
— Howard French (@hofrench) July 3, 2019