Kenyans online have called out American media outlet, the New York Times (NYT) for publishing a photo of one of the people killed in the Tuesday terror attack at a hotel in Nairobi.

The NYT article contains several images from the attack including one showing several bullet-riddled bodies slumped over tables in a restaurant.

Using the hashtags #SomeoneTellNYTimes and #deportkimiko, the angry Kenyans have issued several messages to the international community, following the attack that has so far claimed at least 14 lives.



  • The government of Kenya should deport NYT East Africa bureau chief, Kimiko de Freytas-Tamura.
  • NYT and the rest of the media, local and international should report positive stories highlighting human triumph, rather than glorifying the terrorists’ actions.
  • Kenya is still a safe country for business and tourism.
What Kenyans are saying

New York Times defends editorial judgement

Kimiko and the NYT have since explained the ‘reasoning behind their decision’.

‘‘We understand how painful this coverage can be, and we try to be very sensitive in how we handle both words and images in these situations,’‘ read part of the NYT explanation posted on their official Twitter account.

‘‘But we also believe it is important to give our readers a clear picture of the horror of an attack like this.’‘

The photo(s) that offended the Kenyans are still included in the NYT story as of Wednesday morning.

Source: africanews.com