<table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0" ><tr><td valign="top" style="font: inherit;"><br><div id="mailContent"><div style="visibility: visible; overflow: visible;" id="message2053220295" class="undoreset clearfix" role="main">
<div id="yiv351324809"><div style="text-align:center;"><b><span style="border-bottom: 2px dotted rgb(54, 99, 136); cursor: pointer;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1320067581_0">Kenya</span> Correspondents Association (KCA)<br><br>South C, P.O. Box 7438, 00200, <span style="border-bottom: 2px dotted rgb(54, 99, 136); cursor: pointer;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1320067581_1">Nairobi, Kenya</span>.<br><br>+254-2- 2632122, Email: <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="compose?to=kenyacorrespondents11@gmail.com"><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1320067581_2">kenyacorrespondents11@gmail.com</span></a><br>
<br>Website: <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.kca.or.ke/"><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1320067581_3">www.kca.or.ke</span></a> <br></b><br> <br></div><b>Nairobi, Kenya.<br><br>October 30, 2011.<br><br>MEDIA RELEASE: <br><br>For Immediate Release:</b><br><br> <br><b>KCA ADVICES ON SAFETY FOR JOURNALISTS IN THE FRONT LINE<br>
<br></b>Kenya Correspondents Association (KCA) has today called on
journalists covering the war against Al Shabaab by Kenyan security
forces, both along Kenya’s border with <span style="border-bottom: 2px dotted rgb(54, 99, 136); cursor: pointer; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1320067581_4">Somalia</span> and deep inside that country to mind their safety and to act in solidarity.<br>
<br>KCA noted that formal war reporting was a new phenomenon for Kenyan
journalists most of whom had never gone through safety trainings on how
to conduct themselves while in the frontline.<br><br>“We urge our
colleagues in the frontline to be mindful of their safety and act with
utmost care in the ongoing war against the Al Shabaab militants. This
advisory also applies to all our colleagues who may be assigned to cover
incidents of terror attacks within the country, said Oloo Janak, the
KCA Chairman.<br>
<br>Janak noted that the militants had in the past targeted journalists
in Somalia in their operations and had little respect for media people
who, because of Kenya’s intervention in Somalia, “may treat Kenyan
journalists as legitimate targets”.<br>
<br>He called on all journalists to work closely with the security
personnel and abide by any reasonable safety instructions as is the
practice in the coverage of conflict situations world wide.<br><br>“We
need to recognize that Kenyan journalists currently involved in covering
the war against Al Shabaab are as important as the soldiers and we call
on the media fraternity to offer them the necessary support including
messages of solidarity and encouragement,” he said.<br>
<br>Janak emphasized that the media outlets for which the journalists
deployed to the frontline are working and the government, are duty bound
to offer them the necessary logistical support, rapid safety briefings
and guarantee them security while in the field. <br>
<br>He called on the journalists to exercise a sense of responsibility
and fairness in the coverage of the war to avoid any possibilities of
creating false feelings of victory, alarm or despondency at home that
could lead to xenophobic attacks against Kenyan Somalis.<br>
<br>At the same time, Janak said, while some of the concerns by the
military about some of the media reports were legitimate, the media
could not be turned into a propaganda tool by both the military and
government and it was important that the security agencies and the
government give regular and factual updates to inform accurate reporting
by journalists.<br>
<br><br><b><i>For further information and inquiries, Please contact:<br><br>KCA Secretariat: <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="compose?to=kenyacorrespondents11@gmail.com">kenyacorrespondents11@gmail.com</a>, <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="compose?to=info@kca.or.ke"><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1320067581_5">info@kca.or.ke</span></a><br>
<br>Tel: +254-20-2632122, +254-72269792</i></b>
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