As the 2017 general election fast approaches, the media being a critical entity in the coverage has been called upon to maintain fairness and balanced reporting so as to ensure the country remains peaceful before and after the whole exercise. In a two-day media training held at a Bungoma hotel, Local Capacities for Peace International CEO Roselyn Onunga says the press has a great role to play throughout the period saying residents across the country will rely on the several media platforms to be informed about what is happening across the country.
She disclosed that the Fourth Estate has to always maintain balanced reporting of all the candidates and political parties and at the same time sieve what they say in political rallies so as not to propagate violence and hate speech among the several communities living in the country.
She added that in several instances some media houses, as well as reporters have been taking sides in their report coverage saying as the media, they are supposed to bring out both sides of the story for the public themselves to ascertain the truth of the matter.
Regarding conflict reporting, she said it is important to avoid deteriorating the situation further by using terms that may end up inciting the affected parties but rather use the opportunity to offer messages of peace that will foster unity among the two parties.
“As an organization, we chose to work with the media since many residents rely on it to find out what is happening and therefore has to be cautious of what they present lest it stirs hatred among people,” she said.
However, she called upon politicians to be also cautious in the presentation of their speeches saying as we approach the election period many of them use to opportunity to incite different communities against each other.