Most journalists will be covering a General Election for the first time in the August 9 polls and will require a great deal of assistance to get it right, according to Media Council of Kenya Director, Media Training and Development Victor Bwire.
Mr. Bwire urged journalists to take the ongoing trainings seriously in order to build their capacity, which will allow them to do their jobs well while avoiding inflaming emotions before, during, and after the General Election.
“Millions of Kenyans rely on the media to make electoral decisions, and journalists owe it to them to present an objective, fair, and balanced picture of all candidates and issues at stake,” he said during a training in Kitui. The two-day training, organized by the Media Council of Kenya in collaboration with the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), aims to increase the capacity of journalists in Kitui County to cover elections.
Mr Bwire also urged journalists to question information they receive before processing it and forwarding it to the editors as news.
“We are not mere stenographers or information pipelines forwarding information as received,” he explained, “but thinking, trained individuals with a sacred duty to the public.”
The trainings focus on conflict-sensitive reporting, combating disinformation and fake news, and preparing for and responding to emergencies during elections.
