The Media Council of Kenya is calling for heightened mentorship of young media professionals in a bid to foster professionalism in the sector.
MCK CEO Mr David Omwoyo told members of the Association of Professional Broadcasters (APB) when they signed a working relationship with the Council that: “This is an opportunity to prioritise mentoring of broadcasters as they need professional guidance to ensure professionalism is achieved”.
“The Council has put in place several initiatives, including mentorship, to promote professional and ethical reporting by journalists as we head into the electioneering period”, said Mr Omwoyo.
APB Treasurer Zipporah Simani affirmed the group’s commitment to nurture professionalism in the media. “Our scope is mentoring and our goal is to see a professional media through imparting the requisite ethical and professional skills among our upcoming and young media professionals”, said Ms Simani.
The MOU will see the MCK and APB undertake joint efforts to promote responsible journalism in media houses and media training.
Under the agreement, APB will partner with the Council and educational institutions to impart ethical values to upcoming journalists through participation as guest speakers during graduations/ or career fairs. The Council will support APB to develop and implement mentorship strategy.
Additionally, APB will complement the Council’s watchdog role by listening in to diverse broadcast content and calling out media stations airing inappropriate content for appropriate action by the Council.
APB will also work closely with the Council to lobby for policies that safeguard and protect veteran broadcasters.