Dear All,
Today's discussion:
The purpose of the Media Council Bill:
An Act of Parliament to provide for the realization of the right to freedom of expression and freedom of media; for the establishment of the Media Council of Kenya; for the conduct and discipline of journalists and the media, and for connected purposes.
Article 33 of the Constitution provides for Freedom of Expression, while Article 34 provides for the freedom of Media. Further in Article 34, sub article 5, it states...Parliament shall enact legislation that provides for the establishment of a body which shall:
a) be independent of control by government, political interests or commercial interests; b) reflect the sections of all sections of society; and c) set media standards and regulate and monitor compliance with those standards.
We welcome responses/reflections to the following:
1. Is the purpose (as stated above) satisfactory, or should it be enhanced to reflect the provisions in the constitution?
Will the proposed Media Council be an 'improvement' of the current Media Council of Kenya ( or is it Media Owners Association? Perhaps to make it fulfill it's mandate can we be in a position to know what the Media Council does, and how much it has in terms of reigning in on journalists who do not subscribe to the Code of conduct for journalists.
2. Is this proposed Media Council best placed to perform and fulfill this purpose?
I don't know whether I'm off track, if the purpose serves the employment (hiring) and categorizing (freelance and those in media organizations) etc, then I find it relevant to the constitutional clauses.
3. Will the proposed Media Council enhance professionalism and growth of media in Kenya?
The reason, IMHO, for having a Media Council in place, is because there is little or no professionalism within the media fraternity in Kenya, and out of this, a Media Council would come in handy to bring the much needed professionalism to the fore. Setting up national qualifications for the members of the Fourth Estate, just like lawyers, is one thing that will make the growth of media be appreciated. Lawyers have to acquire a Diploma from the Kenya School of Law in order to practice law in Kenya, why then can't journalists have same? Regards,
Rgds Grace
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