Media Council of Kenya (MCK) announced Friday it will recall all journalists’ accreditation cards and issue ones with new features in a bid to contain quack journalists.
After a long silence of observing, MCK has started to move to address the ever-presence nuisance of people masquerading as journalists who throng news events, giving journalism a bad name.
“Media Council of Kenya to recall all accreditation cards in a bid to contain fraudsters posing as journalists. New Press Cards to have additional features including a barcode and QR code that can be scanned using any smartphone,” MCK said in a statement.
The industry regulator is expected to meet stakeholders today to chart a way forward on how to deal with the so-called quack journalists, who are accused of extortion and invading dining areas reserved for journalists during media functions.
“It has come to our attention that there’s an escalation of fraudsters masquerading as journalists and media practitioners who get access to events with the intention of extorting and harassing people,” MCK CEO, David Omwoyo, said in the statement issued on January 26, 2023.
The meeting is expected to provide a platform to deliberate on the matter “and agree on practical measures” to enhance professionalism and to deal with the rising cases of fraudsters posing as journalists.
