Be fair and stick to ethics, Internews tells journalists

AN American NGO has urged journalists in Kenya to take the profession seriously to avoid passing conflicting information to the public. Internews Kenya regretted that some journalists take their roles for granted, leading to misinformation. Internews lead trainer Eleanor Dobing said journalism is a key role in the society and should not be taken lightly. She said journalists have, for a long time, influenced decisions made by the public.

She was speaking in Mombasa during training for journalists dubbed Tales of two cities. Dobing urged reporters to to embrace professionalism, ethics, fair and unbiased reporting. “You have the power to shape the society and what it grows into. We all have the obligation of ensuring that what we give out to the society is something that will help make the right decisions,” said Dobing. “People are usually ready to accept information and if they get the wrong information then it could cause a very big damage,” she said.

The organisation, which is conducting a five-day training in Mombasa and Kisumu concurrently, is focused on health training to equip journalists with skills of positive reporting on health matters. “Tales of Two Cities is a six-week project that will ensure journalists are in the capacity to report health matters better. Health is part of everyone’s life but generally as journalists it is core to get good information to the audience,” Dobbing added.

Project team leader Sammy Muraya accused journalists of failing to report positively the recent Sh8million needle distribution proposed programme by the government. “Media reported the issue on the negative and addressed the moral side only. We need to look at both sides and see if the project is viable,” Muraya said.