Media Council of Kenya asks Govt to call off live press conferences, provide journalists protective gear.
The Media Council of Kenya the independent national institution established by the Media Council Act, 2013 for the purpose of setting media standards and ensuring compliance.
The institution promotes Press Freedom and responsible journalism as well as regulation of media and the conduct and discipline of journalists.
The Media Council of Kenya on March 19th issued a Media Safety and Practice advisory during the covering of Coronavirus by the media in Kenya as seen by Newszaleo.co.ke .
It read”
Media Sector Emergency Response Team advisory on Media Safety & Practice during the covering of #COVID19KE
The national and county governments’ departments and agencies as well as private sector organizations suspend all live coverage of Press Conferences as currently constituted, in order to comply with the Ministry of Health (MoH) and Department of Occupational Safety & Health (DOSH) guidelines on containment of COVID-19.
The national government, facilitate the provision of live feeds to national and community-level media houses for public communication announcements from the national and county governments.
The national government and the Ministry of Health in particular, should facilitate the provision of official content on COVID-19 to media houses, beyond advertising messages, so as to enable them disseminate the same in multiple formats and languages through vernacular, braille and sign language and also counter any misinformation.
The national government, provide the media with protective gear as they cover the spread of the virus on the ground and provide logistical and other support as necessary.
The Media Emergency Response Team is led by Victor Bwire, our Head of Media Development & Strategy and regional journalist safety expert and trainer supported by Ms. Dinnah Ondari, our Manager in charge of Accreditation and Safety of Journalists and Mr Leo Mutisya, our Manager in charge of Media Monitoring & Research.”
