the Standard (Kenya)

The newspaper was established as The African Standard in 1902, as a weekly, by Alibhai Mulla Jeevanjee, an immigrant businessman from British India. In 1905, Jeevanjee sold the paper to Maia Anderson and Rudolf Franz Mayer, who changed the name to the East African Standard. It became a daily paper and moved its headquarters from Mombasa to Nairobi in 1910. At the time the newspaper strongly supported colonialist viewpoints.{{Cite web |url=http://www.sundaytimes.co.za/zones/sundaytimesNEW/basket6st/basket6st1141299181.aspx |title=Redirecting |access-date=3 September 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180621020031/http://www.sundaytimes.co.za/zones/sundaytimesNEW/basket6st/basket6st1141299181.aspx |archive-date=21 June 2018 |url-status=dead }} The British-based Lonrho Group bought the newspaper in 1963, only a few months before Kenya's independence (they were a colony of Britain). The paper changed its name to The Standard in 1977 but the name East African Standard was revived later. It was sold to Kenyan investors in 1995. In 2004 the name was changed back to The Standard. It is the main rival to Kenya's largest newspaper, the Daily Nation. In 1989, as Kenya transitioned into multi-party era, the Standard Group acquired the KTN Television Channel. It is the oldest newspaper published in Kenya.{{fact|date=September 2021}} The top editors at the Standard Group include Kipkoech Tanui (The Standard, Daily Editions) and John Bundotich (Weekend Editions) with Charles Otieno editing The Nairobian. The head of Radio Maisha is Tom Japanni, KTN Managing Editor is Ellen Wanjiru, while Standard Digital Managing Editor is Carole Kimutai.

In late February 2006 The Standard ran a story claiming that president Mwai Kibaki and senior opposition figure Kalonzo Musyoka had been holding secret meetings. At 1:00 am local time (2200 UTC), on 2 March, masked gunmen carrying AK-47s raided the editorial office of The Standard, and its television station KTN. They assaulted staff members, forcibly took computers and transmission equipment, burned all the copies of the 2 March edition of the newspaper, and damaged the presses. At KTN, they shut down its flow of electricity, putting the station off the air. Initially, the Kenyan information minister denied knowledge of the raid, but later revealed that Kenyan police were responsible, and stated that the incident was to safeguard state security. "If you rattle a snake you must be prepared to be bitten by it," John Michuki said. Three journalists at The Standard, arrested after the critical story was printed, were released on 2 March on bail of 50,000 Kenyan shillings (US$692).{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4765250.stm |title=Africa | Kenya admits armed raids on paper |publisher=BBC News |date=2 March 2006 |access-date=16 April 2014}}{{cite web|author=Thomson Reuters Foundation |url=http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/IRIN/594f371980df55020e96a8268a9aa506.htm |title=Thomson Reuters Foundation | News, Information and Connections for Action |publisher=Alertnet.org |access-date=16 April 2014}}{{cite web|url=http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/72636 |title="Standard" journalists charged, released on bail; raided television station resumes broadcasting, staff released without charges |publisher=IFEX |access-date=16 April 2014}}

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{{Media in Kenya}}

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Category:Newspapers published in Kenya

Category:Newspapers established in 1902

Category:1902 establishments in Kenya

Category:Mass media in Nairobi