Journalists have been urged to organize themselves in groups to be able to help each other in case of risks as they undertake their daily work.
Defenders Coalition Executive Director Kamau Ngugi said that journalists who are human rights defenders face a lot of risk as they carry out their work.
He said the lobby group is willing to help journalists who face threats in the line of duty and it would be better if they were in a group.
“We are willing to relocate people who have been threatened by news sources because of stories they published or aired,” Ngugi said.
He spoke on Thursday during a training for media in Nairobi to celebrate World Press Freedom Day where the lobby group sponsored journalists from across the country.
Kamau said in the recent past, they have relocated journalists who have faced threats to save them from being injured or killed.
He said this year, about 87 journalists have been killed in the line of duty across the world and about 323 journalists jailed.
Kamau said journalists should seek help in case they face death threats.
“They should not ignore and pretend they will stay put and put their lives at risk,” Kamau said.
The director also encouraged journalists who cover accident scenes and other tragic events where they see dead bodies to go for counselling for their mental health.
“Journalists are like soldiers an injured soldier is a problem to the people he is fighting for,” Kamau said.
Journalists who attended the training shared experiences relating to their work.
Most asked for better remuneration from employers to be able to partake in their daily work independently.
Kamau asked journalists to speak about environmental issues to help deal with issues of environmental change.
Defenders’ Coalition is a lobby group that deals with human rights.
It has been a solace for journalists facing threats, especially those doing investigative stories.
