- Artificial intelligence, sustainability approaches, changing news gathering and consumption patterns and legal trends, especially on data protection have thrown the media players in limbo.
- The media industry does not need favours to operate, but a conducive policy environment and skilled leadership.
There has been gloom and uncertainty within the media sector with some predicting that the industry is seeing its last stages because of the emergency of new tools of trade.
Artificial intelligence, sustainability approaches, changing news gathering and consumption patterns and legal trends, especially on data protection have thrown the media players in limbo.
Surprisingly, the contrary is the reality.
The media industry does not need favours to operate, but a conducive policy environment and skilled leadership.
The demand for quality, responsible and analytical information is huge.
While channels have changed, people have not stopped reading, listening or watching news in this country.
What has changed is when, where and how they consume media content.
While artificial intelligence has leveraged various media platforms and enhanced media convergence, a model that has helped media reduce operational costs in the long run, content monetization requires media to engage differently in playing the public interest role while at the same time getting revenue to sustain its operations.
Law on data protection only helps media to professionally release responsible and public interest content.
These emerging issues are not necessarily a threat to media sustainability but require investment and highly competent human skills.
Our governments must realize that the digital economy and information societies they aspire to build in our countries won't work.
Large populations live in rural areas with poor internet and electricity connectivity coupled with high illiteracy rates that make relying on information provision on digital platforms a hard sale.
Print, radio and TV still dominate our homesteads for news, especially on live-saving skills that the majority of citizens want.
In fact, with converged newsrooms, it’s even now difficult to separate new media from traditional media.
For mass public education, as the information society mantra requires, we need friendly policies that promote access to information and freedom of expression.
Credible information and more importantly, freedom of expression is an enabler for development.
Development requires mass support and understanding.
Without the involvement of media in this process, it is hard for those in leadership to communicate what they are doing, leading to frustration.
Policymakers and industry leaders must appreciate that innovations like Al are better domesticated and made for the industry to benefit from them rather than being seen as tools for isolation.
Yes, social media has transformed the media landscape but notice that it has also created information inequalities.
How many community-based media or local language-based media outlets or content creators can afford to use AI in their information gathering and dissemination or can install current anti-plagiarism software in their work?
These innovations are favouring big media corporations at the expense of the small media outlets outside major towns- which is not helping society.
We need to help these stations and journalists engage with big techs and other content users to pay for media content they cheaply pick from our journalists and media instead of creating adversarial relations between the media and the big techs.
Do our copyright laws sufficiently protect original content creators against content theft?
Is there sufficient policy and administrative support for media to sustain the information society and public understanding of governance and national development issues?
To deal with data protection and minimize threats associated with flouting data protection laws, stakeholders in Kenya under the Media Council of Kenya have developed a guide for media use on data.
The guide provides principles for data governance for journalists, media practitioners and media enterprises.
It recognises the need for the media sector to balance and reinforce the right to privacy while promoting the right to freedom of expression through responsible journalism.
To deal with AI, the industry has developed a guide for the media industry in their use of AI in the execution of their roles and functions in a way that follows legal requirements and international best practices.
The primary objective of this guide is to ensure responsible and effective management and use of AI by media enterprises and media practitioners.
In addition to relooking at the tax regime, broadcasting equipment, and fair administrative practices in the media, the country needs to rethink its handling of the media sector as a partner in national development and not necessarily through the lens of the election.
Media is an industry that creates jobs including for the youth.
Coming up with programs aimed at helping the media how to monetise content through creating relationships with big techs and protecting them against theft of their content creations are more urgent and practical than concerns solely on editorial content.
Editorial content is already taken care of through the various ethical standards required of the media.