Reax to closure of newspaper and TV station, overnight raid

(2 Mar 2006) 1. Exterior of the I&M building where KTN is located 2. Opposition supporters outside the I&M building with opposition leaders Kalonzo Musyoka (tan jacket, right of screen), Raila Odinga (standing immediately next to Musyoke in back), Mutula Kulonzo 3. Opposition leaders walk down hallway 4. SOUNDBITE: (English) Tom Mshindi, CEO of Standard Media Group: "We believe that this is a direct and blatant attempt to undermine the freedom of the press in this country as guaranteed by the constitution. It is also an action intended to paralyse our business. We believe that the extra judicial settling of scores has no place in any country which believes in the rule of law." 5. Cutaway of media 6. SOUNDBTIE: (English) Uhuru Kenyatta, Head of opposition party Kanu: "There are no words strong enough to condemn the illegal unconstitutional undemocratic action taken against the fourth estate taken last night, or early this morning." 7. Leaders sitting at table 8. SOUNDBTIE: (Kiswahili / English) John Michuki, Minister of Internal Security: "The thing that happened is of state security, that thing of state security is a must to be seen. If you rattle a snake you must be prepared to be bitten by it." 9. KTN newsroom 10. KTN Microphone 11. Guard looking at disconnected cables 12. Various of shattered glass ++Night Shots++ 13. Flames seen through gates of Standard Newspaper building 14. Pile of undistributed newspapers 15. Close up Standard Newspaper, with headline reading "Standard Journalist locked up over story" 16. Police guarding outside Standard offices STORYLINE: Kenya Television Network resumed broadcasting on Thursday after masked, plainclothes police carrying assault rifles staged a midnight raid and closed down the the station and the country's oldest newspaper, The Standard. Authorities burned tens of thousands of newspapers in the most dramatic attack on the press in Kenya's history. The closures of The Standard and the Kenya Television Network marked the first time a Kenyan government has shut down a major media company and followed the detentions of several journalists. The Kenyan media have reported aggressively on corruption scandals swirling around President Mwai Kibaki, seen as increasingly politically isolated. The CEO of Standard Media Group, Tom Mshindi said: "We believe that this is a direct and blatant attempt to undermine the freedom of the press in this country as guaranteed by the constitution." A police statement issued later called the case a national security matter. Police also took three journalists from The Standard to magistrate's court Thursday afternoon and charged them with "publishing an alarming publication." The charges stated that a report published on Saturday that Kibaki met secretly with a key opponent created public alarm. Dozens of armed men wearing gas masks and driving unmarked vehicles raided the Standard's printing plant and KTN's offices simultaneously just after midnight, taking computers and transmission equipment, damaging the presses and setting fire to tens of thousands of Thursday's edition Interior Security Minister John Michuki told journalists: "If you rattle a snake you must be prepared to be bitten by it." Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...