UNESCO, in partnership with the Aga Khan University’s Graduate School of Media and Communications (AKU-GSMC), has successfully concluded a two-day training program for media leaders across Kenya. The initiative aimed to strengthen the capacity of editors, media managers, and regulators to combat misinformation and disinformation.
Delivered under UNESCO’s Social Media 4 Peace (SM4P) initiative, the program focused on providing newsroom leaders with practical skills in fact-checking, verification, and integrating gender-transformative media and information literacy (MIL) policies into their practices. The training emphasized that those in leadership positions have a crucial role in shaping newsroom culture and standards to promote ethical, evidence-based reporting.
Speaking at the close of the training, Professor Nancy Booker, Dean of GSMC, praised the timely collaboration. “By focusing on editors and media leaders, we are empowering those who set the tone for journalism in Kenya,” she said. “The lessons from this training will help transform newsrooms into spaces that not only resist misinformation but also champion gender-inclusive and evidence-based storytelling.”
John Okande, Program Coordinator at UNESCO, added that the training is a crucial step in empowering Kenya’s media leaders to promote information integrity. “By equipping editors and media managers with practical skills…we are strengthening the foundational principles for ethical journalism in Kenyan newsrooms, ensuring they can build public trust and serve as a reliable source of information for all,” he stated.
This program marks the beginning of a broader effort by UNESCO and AKU-GSMC to provide African media with the tools needed to confront information disorder and uphold democratic values. The organizations are calling on newsrooms, regulators, and civil society to join in scaling up these interventions and embedding MIL at the core of their editorial policy and journalism practice.