Former Citizen TV special projects editor Asha Mwilu has announced the launch of her company called Debunk Media.
She describes it as Deep, Bold, Unfiltered, Nuanced, Kinetic.
“Debunk Media is a team of journalists, data scientists, filmmakers, illustrators, and animators. There’s even a doctor on the team. With our combined expertise, we are using storytelling to make sense of the big issues affecting our audiences,” Asha Mwilu explained.
“It’s one thing to have a dream. It’s another to have a team of young and passionate creatives and scientists join in that dream. Introducing the @debunkdotmedia team #Debunk,” she shared on her Twitter feed.
According to Mwilu, her current team comprises of Sheila Munyiva, a trained producer and Director, Wakini Miriam (Data journalist and Producer), Charlie Karumi (NRG Radio presenter), Peris Mureithi (CNN journalism Fellow), Juliete Atellah (Data and Investigative journalist as TheElephant.info and an OCCRP Fellow), Whitney Muhadi (Content Creator), Patrick Gatua (a new-age digital journalist with a background in the medical field) and Earnest Kilonzo.
The world is an evolving complex place; we're here to make sense of it all.#debunk pic.twitter.com/Tqct2ji5yY
— Debunk Media (@debunkdotmedia) July 1, 2020
Mwilu says around the world, “We have so much information competing for our attention daily. Many times we need to break everything and discover why it matters to us. Through compelling storytelling and evidence-based journalism, we at Debunk Media want to explore new ways of helping you better understand the big events that shape your life.”
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Debunk Media is being launched at a time Kenya’s media industry is facing unprecedented challenges mainly attributed to the weaknesses in the legal and regulatory framework which ‘impinge on the freedom of expression and media freedom’.
The situation has been exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic. This has seen over 300 journalists losing their jobs in the past nine months according to the Kenya Editors Guild (KEG). KEG says if the situation is not resolved soon, in the long run, it will harm the practice of journalism in the country.
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On the other hand, The Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2020, says Kenya has relatively high levels of trust in the media, with half (50%) saying they trust most news most of the time.
The report further says while many media companies have been enjoying record audience figures, news fatigue is also setting in, and the short-term and long-term economic impact of the crisis is likely to be profound.
