The Kenya Editors Guild (KEG) and Daystar University on Thursday, February 22 formalized a partnership agreement focusing on joint efforts in training, research, and mentorship programs.
The memorandum of understanding (MoU) outlines collaboration in conferences, capacity building for students, staff, and faculty.
Daystar University’s school of communication is set to benefit from the partnership by gaining access to a skilled pool of journalists and editors.
The collaboration aims to expose communication students to various aspects of media, including writing, reporting, presentation, and technical skills.
Details of the MOU
The agreement outlines plans for monthly mentorship forums addressing the development and challenges within Kenya’s media industry.
Zubeidah Kananu, the President of KEG and a journalist at Standard Group, said the partnership would include short training sessions on specialized areas such as climate change reporting, economic reporting, and other related fields.
The focus will be on promoting quality, ethical journalism, media freedom, and editorial independence.
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Kananu emphasized the evolving landscape of technology and the impact of social media on news consumption. She also highlighted the need for young journalists to be trained in preparing news tailored for social media audiences.
“Young journalists need to be trained on how to prepare news that caters to the audience on social media platforms,” she said.
Daystar deputy vice-chancellor’s remarks
Faith Nguru, Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Daystar University, echoed the sentiments, emphasizing that the collaboration would provide essential training for young journalists in good and ethical journalism practices.
“The expectations of this MOU are very high in the areas of training, mentorship & the propagation of good ethical journalism. This will be a great learning opportunity for young journalists.” said Prof. Faith Nguru.
Daystar University is also set to host key national and international media events in partnership with KEG, including the annual Philip Ochieng Memorial lecture.
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As part of this agreement, KEG members, who serve as managers in local newsrooms, will contribute by offering attachment and internship opportunities to Daystar students.
This will enable students to gain practical training and experience in newsrooms.
The partnership between KEG and Daystar University aims to foster a collaborative environment for mutual learning and development in the field of journalism.
