African Press International blog (http://africanpress.wordpress.com/) managed by Mr. Sammy Korir has been shut by wordpress for violating the rules. In the run up to the US Presidential election, Korir published false information to the effect that he had talked to Michelle Obama on the phone and that the American First Lady had made several confessions which were unfavorable to Obama’s campaign.
On several occasions, Korir promised to release the tapes but as election day neared, Korir failed to honour his promise.
Before the fake Michelle contact, Korir had claimed that he had talked on the phone with a Kenyan who had been with Raila Odinga and who had revealed damaging information about Raila linked to tribalism. The alleged phone contact was published by Korir in the heat of last year’s election campaigns in Kenya. The phone contact also proved to have been fake.
Then, Korir claimed that Kabugua, the run-away Rwandan genocide suspect was in Norway and that he had made contacts with him. The news proved to have been fake. Rainbow Foundation, a web site which was also being managed by Korir and which was allegedly offering education services has also been shut. A Kenyan blog was among several sites that lifted the fake API story on Michelle without counter checking the facts, given the explosive nature of the alleged news.
While blogging is a perfect way of promoting freedom of expression, it is not a certificate to publish false, alarming or defamatory information. Kenyan bloggers could probably learn from the Korir experience and follow KSB’s example of sourcing information especially if such information is sensitive and potentially libelous.
I helped Korir set up API but although I tried to advise him several times to attribute information, he refused to listen and now his blog has been shut down.
Okoth Osewe
About the Author
If am not wrong, this Korir claimed to have information that led to the late Kiboi’s death,only to come to Sweden and tell people he could not release the details. He even put a password to login to info to do with the case. I wonder what really happened? He is rumoured to have met the late before his demise.
Sammy Korir overstepped the boundaries of journalism by taking everything and everybody for granted. He represented greed and fake ambition which was bound to fail with time. His real countdown to hell began with the so-called fake telephone interview with Mrs. Michelle Obama in October, 2008. He already had a past track record of not respecting Intellectual Property and I am glad that WordPress has shut him down. Maintaining journalistic ethics is the best way to prove one’s integrity in the publishing world.
Korir’s dirty linen is aired all over the Internet with lies right from the time he worked in the former President Moi’s government to his current stay in Norway. I congratulate Okoth Osewe who had been steadfast in reminding him that certain standards were required to maintain his former blogsite, the African Press International. When he began mudslinging the next US First Lady in order to win the hearts of anti-Obama crowds, he created a web of lies that eventually exposed his dark side. Believe me, Americans are merciless when you play around with them.
Congratulations to “the mountain sage” and other bloggers who realized that Korir’s heartless intention was to get as many hits as possible on his blogsite, without considering that he was hurting the real anti-Obamas. He had built a near-cult following with his lies and got over two million hits between mid-October to mid-November. His downfall is due to lack of ethics, arrogance, ignorance, manipulation, pride, greed and all other negativities.
The Mountainsage: http://themountainsage.wordpress.com/
Korir has tried making a new come back at
http://africanpressonline.wordpress.com/ but his new blog has too been shut.
Thanks again for your help!
Korir !
Is this guy insane or what ??
I think he is cockooo !!