Journalists practicing in Kisumu have vowed to remain steadfast in performing their watchdog role.
In a statement released on Friday and signed by acting Kisumu Journalists Network (KJN) Chairman Rushdie Oudia, members of the press said no amount of intimidation will stop them from going out there, getting the plight of the common mwananchi or the services they are entitled to, but fail to get from the county government.
“As Journalists practicing in Kisumu, we refuse to be mere conveyor belts of the county or being their Public Relations (PR) arm. We have been and will continue reporting the events and stories as they are and adhering to every value of news including accuracy and factuality,” the statement read in part.
The statement follows an article authored by Kisumu Governor Professor Anyang' Nyong’o, and published by the Star Newspaper on October 20, 2018.
Sections of the article titled "Nyong'o: Social media, social ethics and the sanctity of civil liberties" seemed to accuse journalists of receiving bribes in line of news gathering.
"Let me call attention of the national media to a terrible culture that has now become almost a 'normal' practice in newsgathering and news dissemination. I have noticed that, whether in Nairobi or in Kisumu, reporters tend to take it for granted that they must be "given something" for them to report events or press conferences they are supposed to cover,” the article reads in part.
But Mr Oudia challenged the governor to pin point when, where and which particular journalist from Kisumu demanded for money from him to have his story or event published.
The KJN chairman noted that the article may be part of a well hatched scheme to taint the image of journalists from Kisumu, going by a leaked whatsapp conversation from a county government group christened 'The protagonist'.
In the group, some of Governor Nyong’os executives appeared to be endorsing a proposal by one Bovince Ochieng, to 'handle' journalists; they claim to be giving them biased and negative reporting.