Dennis Itumbi Releases Leaked Letter From Nation Media’s Editorial Director To NMG Journalists

Dennis Itumbi is just that guy. he always has something to say and is never shy about voicing his opinion and although it has landed him in trouble before, it has also etched him into our minds as a bastion of truth. Or atleast to me it has.

And today he released a letter from Nation Media’s editorial director guiding his charges in hopw to deal with opinion polls. This is what Dennis Itumbi released:

We take the view that, not knowing the sponsors of and how the polling was conducted, we risk our reputation if we play up the “findings” of these pollsters.

Ordinarily these polling firms will charge us a bomb if we commissioned such polls but, strangely, when it comes to the popularity of presidential candidates, they conduct them free of charge and scatter the results all around.

They may have their own reasons for doing so, but for now stories derived from these polls will continue to be played down in NMG outlets — not on the front pages nor as leads in the inside pages.

This is not a commentary on their integrity.

We work with them on other matters, and indeed we’ll play up poll results on social and other issues unrelated to the standing of individual politicians.

Saturday Nation last weekend goofed and left out the opinion poll story altogether.

The policy is to publish only for the record.

It is a policy of the Nation Media Group to treat with skepticism opinion polls trumpeting the rising or falling fortunes of Kenyan political leaders.

We take the view that, not knowing the sponsors of the polls and how the polling was conducted, we risk our reputation if we play up the “findings” of these pollsters.

Ordinarily these polling firms will charge us a bomb if we commissioned such polls but, strangely, when it comes to the popularity of presidential candidates, they conduct them free of charge and scatter the results all around.

They may have their own reasons for doing so, but for now stories derived from these polls will continue to be played down in NMG outlets — not on the front pages nor as leads in the inside pages.

This is not a commentary on their integrity.

We work with them on other matters, and indeed we’ll play up poll results on social and other issues unrelated to the standing of individual politicians. Saturday Nation last weekend goofed and left out the opinion poll story altogether. The policy is to publish only for the record. JO (READ Joseph Odindo)