By OLIVER MUSEMBI
As next year’s General Election approaches, journalists have been cautioned against falling prey to misinformation and disinformation, which are increasingly being amplified by artificial intelligence (AI).
Media Council of Kenya (MCK) Chairman Maina Muiruri said the media must work harder to maintain public trust amid the growing spread of manipulated images, deepfakes and misleading narratives that can distort facts during electioneering.
Muiruri spoke when he officially opened a training session for digital media practitioners in Ruiru, Kiambu County, where he urged journalists to embrace technology to identify manipulated content, analyse data and strengthen fact-checking.
The workshop was organised by the Digital Journalists of Kenya (DJK) under the theme, “Using AI to Enhance Content Authenticity and Build Information Credibility in a General Election Season.”
“Elections are moments when citizens need accurate, timely and trustworthy information to make informed decisions. People are increasingly not trusting the media, yet this comes at the height of misinformation, disinformation, manipulated images, deepfakes and misleading narratives that are spread so quickly and often threaten to obliterate the truth,” Muiruri said.
He disclosed that a report prepared by the MCK shows that about 60 per cent of journalists who will cover the upcoming election will be doing so for the first time, underscoring the need for training and sensitisation.
The Media Council chairman said the digital era presented tremendous opportunities for journalists but also imposed greater responsibility on practitioners, particularly as AI tools become increasingly accessible and are used to create and distribute misleading information.
“AI, which is at the top of this training, presents both a challenge and an opportunity. If used responsibly, AI can help journalists verify information, identify manipulated content, analyse data and improve fact-checking,” Muiruri said.
He cautioned journalists against allowing technology to replace professional judgement, ethical standards and accountability, saying human beings behind stories must remain responsible for the information they publish.
“You are senior to AI, which copies minds. It can only do what humans have put into it. You have an opportunity not only to learn what AI can do, but also to ask an equally important question: How do we use it without compromising the principles of journalism?” he said.
Muiruri reminded media practitioners that credibility cannot be built through technology alone, but requires integrity, accuracy, fairness and transparency.
He urged journalists to exercise greater caution when handling digital content, particularly during the election period when misleading information can spread rapidly and influence public opinion.
DJK chairman Andy Kagwa said the media had a responsibility to counter hate speech and toxic political statements as the country prepares for the elections.
He said newsrooms and media organisations, together with bodies such as MCK, the Kenya Editors Guild (KEG) and the Kenya Union of Journalists (KUJ), were rolling out initiatives aimed at strengthening election monitoring and systems for tracking misinformation.
“As journalists, we have to preserve public trust in the media. It is also our duty to counter hate speech and toxic political discourse as the elections approach,” Kagwa said.
DJK secretary Christine Muchira said the association’s mission was to train, equip and build the capacity of journalists operating in the digital space while sensitising them on adherence to the new Code of Conduct for the Practice of Journalism.
She said strengthening the skills of digital journalists was critical in ensuring that news consumers received accurate, credible and professionally produced information during the election period.
