UNESCO partners with the Media Council of Kenya to strengthen the capacities of journalists in conflict-sensitive reporting and data journalism for peacebuilding
The Media Council of Kenya (MCK) in partnership with UNESCO will support the training of journalists and media practitioners on conflict-sensitive reporting and data journalism for peacebuilding in Kenya. The trainings will aim at deepening and increasing the capacities of journalists with requisite competencies and skills to report authentic, factual, and context appropriate messages for peacebuilding and mitigating conflicts in Kenya.
The Council has been undertaking several activities aimed at educating journalists and members of the public on the important role and need for professional ethical journalism in the country especially in relation to national cohesion and national development ahead of the 2022 general election in Kenya. The planned series of workshops will take place from 23 to 28 May 2022 (virtually) and will target journalists and media practitioners drawn from across counties in Kenya. The training on conflict sensitive reporting will be from 23 to 25 May 2022 and on data journalism from 26 to 28 May 2022 from 09.00am to 12.30 pm on the aforementioned sessions in Kenya. In these trainings, the Council will collaborate with the Association of Media Women in Kenya, Africa Check, Daystar University, Journalists of Human Rights, Internews, Google Africa, Aga Khan University Graduate School of Media and Communications and Nation Media Group (NMG) among other partners in Kenya.
Social Media 4 Peace
UNESCO’s Social Media 4 Peace project is funded by the European Union and seeks to strengthen the resilience of societies to potentially harmful content spread online, in particular hate speech inciting violence while protecting freedom of expression and enhancing the promotion of peace through digital technologies, notably social media.
This project is aligned with UNESCO’s overall strategy to combat disinformation by fostering the information as a public good and strengthening the transparency of the internet ecosystem. The project will contribute to the achievement of SDG 16, to promote just, peaceful and inclusive societies and to the UN Plan of Action on Hate Speech launched by UN Secretary-General Antonio Gutierrez to combat the online disturbing groundswell of xenophobia, racism, and intolerance.