Patrick Gathara is a Nairobi-based journalist and political cartoonist. Earlier this week, he applied the best of all his skillsets in a Twitter thread that satirizes the colonialist faux-objectivity with which American journalists tend to report on elections in other (read: mostly non-white-majority) countries:
#BREAKING Polls are set to open in 48 hours across the US as the authoritarian regime of Donald Trump attempts to consolidate its hold over the troubled, oil-rich, nuclear-armed, north American nation. Analysts are sceptical the election will end months of political violence.
#BREAKING African envoys have called for Americans to maintain peace during the elections and to be prepared accept the outcome of the vote. In a joint statement , the diplomats condemned recent incidents of incitement, violence and intimidation directed at opposition supporters
#BREAKING A team of African election observers led by the famed explorer, Milton Allimadi, who discovered the Gulu River in Europe, is en route to the seaside capital of Washington DC where they are expected to separately meet with Mr Trump and opposition candidate, Joe Biden.
#BREAKING Milton Allimadi, head of the African election observer group, urged US media to be responsible in its reporting, and take care not to inflame the already tense situation. "We urge American journalists to preach the gospel of peace and acceptance of election results".
#BREAKING The US election comes at a time when the country is reeling from a series of humanitarian disasters including a pandemic that has claimed nearly a quarter million lives and brought its economy to the brink of collapse, exacerbating already fraught ethnic tensions.
#BREAKING Businesses in the US capital, Washington, are boarded up as the approaching presidential election sparks widespread tension and fear. The first African journalists to travel deep into the heart of the troubled country report armed militia roaming the streets.
#BREAKING African aid agencies sound the alarm over the potential for post-election violence to exacerbate the already dire humanitarian situation in the crisis-wracked US. Aid workers are calling on the international community to do more to protect the civilian population.
#BREAKING Along with its northern neighbour, the US has long been regarded as an island of peace in an otherwise troubled region and plays host to many humanitarian agencies. The UN also has its headquarters in New York, in the more stable north-eastern part of the country.
#BREAKING African envoys have expressed concern over local media reports that US President, Donald Trump, intends to declare victory on Monday, a day before the country's presidential election is held. The envoys urged the autocrat to wait until all votes have been counted.
And it keeps going. You can read the whole thing on Twitter or Threadreader. It's a good (read: scathing) reminder of how journalistic objectivity can mask condescension.
Image: Public Domain via the White House
