By Rosalia Omungo
Some 300 journalists are about to lose their jobs at Standard Media Group. News of the impending lay-offs has left the fraternity in shock, piling on the misery that has dogged the industry in the last couple of years.
A number of journalists about to be shown the door have gone months without pay, sources close to the media house say.
Established in 1901, Standard newspaper, the precursor of Standard Group PLC, is the oldest newspaper in the country. Its plight is a study in the turbulence that has rocked the industry in Kenya.
While significant strides have been made in the quest for a free and independent media, the local media landscape still faces considerable threats.
Studies show the extent, to which the digital disruption has upended existing models of doing business, wiped out traditional revenue sources, stifled operations, and touched off a flurry of lay-offs in a battle for survival.
Experts point to inadequate investment in public interest media, political interference, and economic pressure induced by the evolving media landscape as some of the factors responsible for the mass retrenchments.
Faced with diminishing capacity, industry insiders say outlets are struggling to produce high-quality stories— both at a news and investigative level. The extent to which this can potentially undermine the integrity of the information disseminated to the public remains a key source of concern.
Similarly, this has raised new questions about media sustainability, which is emerging as a huge challenge not just in Kenya but in other African countries as well.
However, in the face of this adversity, the Kenya Editors’ Guild, takes note of the calm and composure with which affected journalists have confronted their situation, exhibiting courage and tenacity as they try to chart a path out of the storm.
The Guild also remains acutely aware that journalists still face multiple threats to their personal safety. In addition to the legal hurdles that confront them in the line of duty, the Guild views this as a danger to the independence of the press, as it undermines the cardinal role of the media of holding those in power to account.
The Guild, alongside its partners Code for Africa, has launched a bid to track the journalists that have been laid off and are struggling to survive. The survey https://bit.ly/4dM4Fib has been designed to gather data whose analysis, it is hoped, will enable journalists and media support agencies better understand the scale of the changing landscape.
These findings will also seek to help media workers better prepare for future disruptions by up-skilling in order to be less vulnerable, or to find niches that make them more resilient.
In its continuous search for solutions that may help bring a positive impact in the industry, the Guild is currently developing a strategy for the creation of a Journalism Trust Fund.
A dedicated Journalism Trust Fund can support independent journalism and strengthen the media landscape.
Presently, the strategy team is working on modalities to enable both donors and individuals contribute to the Fund. Also being thrashed out is the eligibility criteria.
The end-game, however, is to push for the enactment of a law to enable the Exchequer bankroll the Fund.
These developments are an offshoot of industry-wide discussions led by the Kenya Media Sector Working Group (KMSWG), a consortium of associations that promote the independence of the media and the safety of journalists.
The working group has successfully lobbied against restrictive media laws, advocated for improved working conditions for journalists and promoted media literacy initiatives.
