Kenya Correspondents Association (KCA) organized eight regional dialogue forums across the country in early May of this year to mark the World Press Freedom Day (WPFD), as part of efforts to promote media dialogue with diverse range of stakeholders.
Supported by the UNESCO Regional Office for Eastern Africa, the forums were anchored on the theme for the WPFD 2025: Reporting in the Brave New World – The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Press Freedom and the Media.
Since 2018, the association has entrenched regular engagements among media industry players and key actors, including county government officials, rural based non-state actors and citizens groups – and were held in Kisii, Kisumu, Turkana, Uasin Gishu, Makueni, Isiolo, Mombasa and Nairobi.
It has adopted a decentralized approach so much that there is “greater participation, robust engagement and inclusion of rural based journalists, grassroots CSOs and human rights activists/social justice centers, County and National Government officials in the regions,” the KCA chairman Hudson Araka Matara, said at the recent Kisii forum.
He added: “We are committed to creating opportunities for stakeholders in the regions to have greater appreciation of the importance of press freedom, freedom of expression and access to information.”
The forums also included sensitization of non-traditional Social Media 4 Peace (SM4P) partners on ethical content creation, emerging issues and related impact of emerging tech and Artificial Intelligence (AI) on journalism, existing accountability frameworks, and responsible digital engagement for addressing disinformation and hate speech on digital platforms. This was aimed at fostering collaboration and increasing their commitment and accountability of content that they produce and share in counties with the public.
Speaking at the Nairobi forum, Ms. Esther Kamweru, a former CEO of the Media Council of Kenya and veteran editor said: “Artificial intelligence and other technological tools are shaping our news, in the process shaping the way journalists deliver content. We must remain ethical in our content creation and use the digital space responsibly to avoid misinformation and disinformation.”
Editorial rigor, ethical decision-making, critical analysis, and documentation of editorial experiences will be more important to the media sector that is deep in need of strong frameworks for continuous knowledge transfer, experience sharing and mentorship.
“We cannot afford to lose our compass. Journalism must remain rooted in public interest—not just public attention. This calls on all of us to promote ethical reporting and utilize AI responsibly within our media spaces,” said Ken Bosire, a veteran editor who was a panelist at the Nairobi forum.
AI in media work
The forums also recognized the importance of AI in media work and other sectors while calling for more responsible use to avoid spreading fake news, misinformation and disinformation. Additionally, they called for more training for journalist on the use of AI and other emerging technological tools.
The forums called for enhanced collaboration and regular forums between the media and other stakeholders at the grassroot levels, intergenerational conversations and mentorship within the media sectors to ensure continuity and build a more resilient media ecosystem. There were also calls for the media sector, CSOs and the government to work together in promoting press freedom as well as collaborative efforts between the media and non-state actors at safeguarding the civic space, promoting more accountability, democracy and amplifying citizens voices.
Other issues discussed during the forums included the increasing violations targeting journalists in the regions, especially following the Gen Z protests last year, which led to a number of them being injured, denial of access to information and destruction of their equipment. Journalists called on county governments and other government agencies to facilitate access to information for more accurate reporting of the governance and development initiatives in the counties.
County and National Government officials, the CSOs and other stakeholders who attended the forums lauded KCA and UNESCO for organizing the forums. They called for sustained collaboration and more dialogue forums between them and the media to improve accountability and access to information for informed decision making.
