Bishop Obanyi tells Catholic journalists to counter fake news with the truth.

Rose Achiego – Nairobi, Kenya

Bishop Obanyi said Catholic journalists should tell stories about social issues, from a Catholic viewpoint.

He was speaking to Diocesan Communication Coordinators and Catholic Radio Station Managers at a workshop that took place recently at the JJ McCarthy Spiritual Centre in Nairobi. The Bishop disapproved of the tendency by some media houses to sensationalise news stories at the expense of truth. The truth, he said, had become very scarce

“There is a lot of news in the world and society, but the truth is very scarce. That is why Catholic media practitioners should be very strategic in reporting accurately and telling stories from the grassroots to be able to evangelise effectively,” he said.

The Bishop encouraged Catholic Media to engage with issues that help people grow from one level to another.

Training of parish communication agents bearing fruit

Bishop Obanyi commended the Commission for Social Communications office’s initiative of training parish communication agents in various Kenyan Dioceses. He said the pieces of training were beginning to bear good results. There was an improved flow of Church news from the parish level to Catholic radios, magazines, newspapers and online publications.

“We can’t project our voices, we can’t project our ideas unless we have our own media, and this media has to be based even in the parishes hence the importance of training parish communication agents,” Bishop Obanyi said.