The Media Council of Kenya (MCK) has urged Non-State Actors to enhance collaborations between them and the media in a bid to boost professionalism.
MCK Mombasa Regional Coordinator Maureen Mudi affirmed the Council’s commitment to collaborate with Non-State Actors to build capacity of journalists within Coast region and neighbouring counties to effectively report on conflict, hate speech and misinformation.
“As a Council, we remain committed to ensuring that media workers in Mombasa, Kilifi, Lamu, Kwale, Tana River and Garissa are professionally trained to report on various issues affecting the areas without eliciting negative emotions from the residents and the affected people,” she said at a meeting with Search for Common Grounds, a locally based international organisation that works to end violent conflict and build healthy, safe and just societies.
Ms Mudi further said that the Council in partnership with UNESCO is currently working towards developing a Media Information Literacy Policy for Kenya which will aid in addressing the dynamics of the changing media landscape and help to educate the public on being responsible content consumers.
“The partnership is targeting media and data information which will help in fostering good working relations but will also go a long way in ensuring adequate and steady flow of information on issues related to hate speech, security and misinformation among others,” added Ms Mudi.
Search for Common Grounds Media Officer Dominic Tsuma commended MCK for its role and efforts in the lead up to the 2022 General Election in propagating messages of peace, cohesion and pushing for professionalism within the media.
He emphasised the importance of nurturing a cordial working relation between the media and the society and urged the Council to also include the social media influencers who highlight and sensitise the communities against societal vices.
“The media should not only highlight and report issues that cause mayhem and insecurity but also sensitise the communities on the adverse effects of such acts by being sensitive, getting the accurate information and most importantly not to propagate hate speech by using the right words when reporting,” noted Mr Tsuma.
The Council has partnered with Search for Common Grounds, NCIC, Code for Africa, ACePIS, and PesaCheck to conduct 12 trainings for journalists and social media influencers in six counties across the coastal region. The trainings will cover topics conflict sensitive reporting, misinformation and hate speech.