Details

The Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung in cooperation with the “Association of Media Women in Kenya” (AMWIK) organized a workshop on strengthening the capacity of journalists with special focus on conflict sensitive reporting. The activity took place from 18th August 2016 to 19th August 2016 at the Lake Nakuru Flamingo Lodge in Nakuru and brought together 17 journalists from print and electronic media as well as other areas of communication.

Media is a double-edged influential actor and medium within the dimensions of conflict and peace building as it has the capacity to affect vast audiences. It can be a frightful weapon of violence when it propagates messages of intolerance and disinformation that manipulates public sentiments. For example during the 2007/08-post election violence in Kenya, the mass media was accused of perpetuating the conflict in how reporting of the entire period was aired.

To address these challenges, KAS is partnering with AMWIK to equip journalists with the requisite skills for peace-building and conflict transformation stories and programs. AMWIK is a national media association using training and networking to foster collaboration within the media and with other sectors of society around the issues of human rights, democracy, governance and equal representation of women in leadership positions.

Workshop highlights greater understanding of media in conflict resolution

The main objective of this two day lasting session was to endow the journalists with a deeper understanding of the important functions of responsible media coverage: it can both prevent and resolve conflict through its functions responsibly discharged by disseminating information that fosters awareness and knowledge, and promotes participatory and transparent governance by addressing perceived grievances. As the fourth estate, it acts as the guardian of democracy and defender of public interests and rights of citizens by revealing abuses of state authority through investigative journalism.

The workshop included three kinds of formal sessions, such as keynote presentations, plenary teaching sessions and break-out sessions, which were held by a team of experienced facilitators drawn from the spheres of academia, policy, journalism and grass-root projects. The participants were taught on the key tenets of conflict sensitive reporting, and how to maximize positive impacts of promoting peace through their publications. The training transmitted knowledge to the journalists on what conflict entails, the stages of conflict, the power of words in preventing or perpetuating conflict and on how to overcome one’s own prejudices when covering conflict. Moreover, the participants also were informed about tools for journalists covering conflict, strategies for conflict sensitive reporting, security tips when covering volatile situations and the need for verification of information. By analyzing examples and sharing personal experiences, the participants were made aware of their responsibility and power, which they can assert through their reporting to challenge misperceptions and promote tolerance, collaboration and reconciliation between all parties and across all strata of society.

By implementing this training, KAS made an important contribution to enable journalists to understand the key principles of conflict sensitive reporting, to establish and use effective media interventions in conflict transformation and to understand both individual and collective responsibilities in supporting the application of conflict sensitive reporting standards.

At the end of the workshop, selected participants were encouraged to write stories on their experiences, challenges and best practices while covering conflicts. These reports will be part of the 20 stories in total, which are to be created during this and the following three workshops in additional Counties. Those articles will be edited and published as main outcome in a newsletter, and later on shared with media stakeholders and peace advocacy groups.