Formulate regulations as you embrace AI, Media urged

National Assembly speaker Moses Wetangula has called upon Kenyan media houses to put up necessary regulations that will ensure they collect and disseminate factual news.

Speaking in Mombasa during the Annual Conference of Kenya Editors Guild, Wetangula said the media is the agent of change and that there is no society that can survive without embracing it.

He said media plays a role in disseminating information that helps society to move, grow and change.

"Kenya as a country has embraced the changes coming with modern innovation. Some people from the media houses come to me with hard questions on what I am doing to transform the Parliament to move with the trends that are knocking everywhere," Wetang'ula said.

He said that parliament must also keep and embrace the trends of the times.

"Media is very good but it can be very dangerous to us politicians. As you adjust to the changing times, you must also sharpen your skills to match the emerging trends," he said.

He said that even as the media fraternity embraces AI technology and all the innovation, they still physically have to cover events such as floods and war.

"I salute the media for bracing situations that people cannot go to, sometimes you are killed like what happened in Afghanistan and other countries because of writing the truth," he said.

"Many people do not like the truth especially when it exposes them but journalists have taken a leap of fate to make sure that society is informed of facts regardless of the situation." 

However, he said that there is a threat to the media by those who generate fake news.

He called upon the media fraternity to ensure that they do self-regulation among themselves and ensure they disseminate factual news.

"Let there be a free flow of information without being biased. I want you to learn from each other's best practices and be part of the change," he said.

"Any law that will come in the parliament that intends to bring the change, I will be the champion for its adoption. I want to urge you to strive to leave the country better than it was."

Kenya Editors Guild president Zubeidah Kananu said that the media fraternity faces challenges from various sectors including technology, a weakened international system, overwhelming national cynicism, and resurgent authoritarianism.

In Kenya, Kananu said that journalism confronts an existential threat due to various factors, notably the challenging economic conditions that are forcing media companies to issue profit warnings.

"The delicate balance between profit motives and public interest has become crucial and therefore we must ask ourselves tough questions about the cost and extent of state largesse toward the public good," she said.

She called upon the government to champion a media landscape that benefits all, recognizing that while regimes may change, Kenyan society endures and demands better governance.

The KEG president said that strides have been taken in evaluating existing laws and policies, with a specific emphasis on identifying both challenges and opportunities within the dynamic technological landscape and its implications for the media industry.

She said that media sustainability is a critical issue, with media houses facing revenue challenges affecting journalists' salaries.

"The media industry grapples with disruptions from digital technology, particularly the impact of Big Tech companies on media revenues. The task force is actively engaging with these companies to find lasting solutions.

"It is crucial for parliament to actively support the media in amending oppressive laws, fostering a democratic environment that upholds freedom of expression and ensures a vibrant fourth estate," she said.

On Saturday, COTU Secretary General Francis Atwoli is expected to attend the KEG conference and address issues around the welfare of journalists.