Standard Media Group (SGM) has dismissed a viral statement circulating online that claimed the company had apologised to President William Ruto over its government coverage, saying the document was fake.

🇰🇪 Breaking It Down

The statement emerged after the fake letter, as seen by  Kenyans.co.ke on July 9, spread widely on social media, creating public debate over whether The Standard's editorial position on government reporting had changed following its explosive front pages.

The fabricated document was presented as an editorial note and apology addressed to the Government of Kenya and the public, claiming The Standard had reviewed its coverage of state programmes. “ RE: EDITORIAL NOTE AND APOLOGY ON OUR COVERAGE OF THE GOVERNMENT,” stated the banner of the fake letter.

According to the fake letter, the review covered government initiatives in infrastructure, healthcare, and the economy, areas where it alleged previous reporting had not been accurate or fair enough.

📌 What You Need to Know

The document further claimed that Standard Media had acknowledged shortcomings in how it represented government work plus it admitted flaws in its unbalanced reporting on the government. “ That review found that some of our coverage was factually incorrect and that our government initiatives, while fulfilling the government’s mandate, were not always accurate or fair to other areas,” stated the false letter in part.”

The fake statement also alleged that recommendations had been made for corrections, while claiming the media house had reaffirmed its commitment to maintaining high standards in its journalism practices.

The circulation of the fake letter came amid attention on The Standard's recent coverage of President Ruto's administration and renewed public discussions around media reporting on government performance in Kenya.

Over the past week, KTN News , the television outlet of SMG, has published a publication implicating President Ruto on June 23 after an explosive feature story both in television and in its print affiliate,  The Standard , titled "Gallery of Ruto's Lies". The investigative features examined unfulfilled campaign pledges and highlighted the gap between the administration's rhetoric and on-the-ground realities regarding delayed infrastructure projects and economic promises.  President Ruto publicly retaliated by criticising the media group on social media, dismissing their headlines as continuous "extortionist propaganda" and blackmail, prompting journalists and editors to hit back at the government's attempts to intimidate them. This comes a day after  the National Assembly Speaker, Moses Wetangula, also gave the media company a 48-hour deadline to retract a story titled 'Broad Based Family,' which he calls false and malicious.

📰 Source: Kenyans.co.ke