Former NMG Editor Elected To Lead African Journalists
Otieno's election was announced on Tuesday, February 20 during TAEF’s Annual General Meeting held in Nairobi, where he succeeded Jovial Rantal of South Africa.
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Former Nation Media Group (NMG) Head of News and Managing Editor, Churchill Otieno, is the newly-elected Chairperson of The Africa Editors Forum (TAEF).
Otieno's election was announced on Tuesday, February 20 during TAEF’s Annual General Meeting held in Nairobi, where he succeeded Jovial Rantal of South Africa.
The Africa Editors' Forum (TAEF) is a body representing editors and senior editorial executives from across the African continent, making it the largest representative of media editors on the continent.
"Congratulations to you Otieno Churchill on your election as the Chairperson of the African Editors Forum. Well deserved," wrote former Association of Media Women in Kenya (AMWIK) Executive Director, Patience Nyange on her social media pages.
Former Kenya Editors Guild president Churchill Otieno. /STANDARD DIGITAL
Other than Otieno, who is also the former President of the Kenya Editors Guild (KEG), Zubeida Kananu Koome, his successor and current president of KEG, was elected as a board member of the organisation.
In his acceptance speech, Otieno emphasised the human element of journalism, highlighting stories of resilience, courage, and hope that epitomize the profession's dedication to justice, equality, and a better tomorrow.
Outlined in his agenda are key issues central to the future of journalism in Africa, including press freedom and journalist safety, implications for digital transformation, media sustainability, standards of journalism, and media pluralism and diversity.
Otieno also called for a reaffirmation of ethical standards and solidarity among journalists, emphasizing the collective responsibility to uphold the freedom of the press.
On her part, Kananu emphasised the importance of partnership in advancing the journalism profession, stressing the need to share lessons and experiences to elevate journalism standards both in Kenya and across the continent.
She also expressed her commitment to collaboration between the Kenya Editors Guild and the Africa Editors' Forum.
In addition to Otieno's election, Mathatha Tsedu, a founding member of TAEF and South African journalist, was honoured with a Lifetime Service to Journalism Award, recognizing his significant contributions to the field.
Otieno worked at Nation since 2001 where he began as an Internet Sub Editor before rising through the ranks over the years in multiple roles.
As an Editor of Online and New Content, he
His tenure at Nation came to an end in November 2022 when he was among a string of senior editors axed in a redundancy exercise.
