Newpaper Habits

Let’s have proper newspaper etiquette

Newspapers play a big role in informing the public as part of the wider mass media. Inspite of the presence of accessible and cheap internet, they have continued to thrive as people insist that ‘had copies’ bring the best perspective. They have become a source of social braggadocio for the selected few who can afford them. They shape the modes and topics of debates in our village Kumukunjis.  They have given thousands of vendors’ livelihoods.

But have we ‘the readers’ taken time to think of how we handle newspapers. Our handling has been such embarrassingly poor that the major newspapers providers, ‘The Standard’ and ‘Nation’ have had to staple their newspapers to prevent those who do have to pay from dirtying or plundering with the newspapers.

There are those who never buy newspapers. Their job is to go early to the vendors’ stations, wait for the delivery van to arrive as though they want to buy the papers. They crowd the newspaper stands that even the genuine buyers can’t have time to buy. Some ven have the guts to open the newspapers are flip them over. This is bad manners.

There are those who just love folding other people’s newspapers. When one gives you a newspaper, kindly return it in the same condition you were given.

When some people are helped with a newspaper to read then again turn into lenders. Someone’s newspaper ends up changing hands to an extent that when it gets back, it is in tatters.

Many people hold the opinion that by nightfall, the day’s newspaper turns into a tissue paper or karatasi ya kuwakusha jiko. Some of us attach a lot of value to newspapers. They are our information archives, our points of reference. Therefore we need to handle them carefully when helped.

There is a group of newspaper owners who are not willing to help others with their papers. While I advocate that we need to buy our own newspapers if we really love reading, there is no need to deny other people to read something that at times you have just bought a symbol of social status.

These people who ask others about information in newspapers they have in their hands should cease. This is bad manners. If you can’t read a newspaper don’t buy or if you have it buy, give it to someone who can read it for you, not wagging it everywhere yet you do not know anything about it. I hope we shall all change how we handle newspapers. It really speaks a lot about our character.

Chrispory Juma Ombuya,

Moi University.