The Media Council of Kenya has underscored the importance of training journalists on conflict-sensitive reporting to promote professional coverage of the General Election.
MCK’s Nakuru Regional Coordinator Mr Jackson Karanja, urged journalists to remain true to their profession while adhering to journalistic ethics.
“The general election is a test to the media sector to evaluate how best they will conduct themselves before, during and after the polls. How journalists report on each matter will help inform the decisions of millions of electorates in Kenya”, said Mr Karanja at a two-day election reporting training for journalists based in Baringo County to sharpen their skills and knowledge in covering the General Election from a conflict-sensitive viewpoint. The training was organised by the Council in collaboration with the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ).
MCK’s Senior Officer for Research and Planning Mr Jacob Nyongesa emphasised the importance of verifying information before disseminating to the public and leveraging on fact-checking tools such as the iVerify platform that was recently launched by the Media Council in partnership with UNDP.
“Propaganda, misinformation, and disinformation continue to affect the media even as we prepare for elections. Politicians have found ways of using social media to spread false and unverified information and this has affected the nature, quality and integrity of content”, he said.
The training brought together journalists and media practitioners from Baringo and Elgeyo Marakwet counties which have witnessed high political activities as the nation gears up to the polls.