Kenya: African Laughter to create journalists directory

The centre will be publishing fact-card profiles on Kenyan journalists as part of a project that aims to provide a full directory of the Kenyan media in place by year-end. African Laughter would like to hear from all journalists who are happy to provide their fact-card data for the profile service.

The PRAlerts service, opened last month, is now being supplied by TellEm, BluePrint (Ogilvy), Silver Bullet (Young & Rubicam), Hill & Knowlton (Scan Group), Africa Practice and African Laughter, with three other agencies now also joining the platform, as well as the first direct corporate suppliers of media information.

PRAlerts is currently offering a free laptop in a draw for journalists who register for its alerts.

Providing multiple layers of media industry information

"As we bring together these currently dispersed media information sources, we can skip journalists over the hurdle of multiple registrations and entries on mailing lists, and straight to a central source carrying all of the day's announcements, plus provide stories from a genuinely Kenyan news agency, and now multiple layers of media industry information too," said Jenny Luesby, MD of African Laughter and longtime international business journalist.

Webaraza.com's new media zone will give media industry news, directories of freelance photographers and media service suppliers, and profiles on all Kenyan journalists.

"In time, we shall be reviewing stories online, adding media training tools, local media statistics and research reports on media issues," said Luesby. "This is an investment for us in providing the local media with its own information centre, with two journalists working on the media zone - Ken Macharia and Collins Baswony - and a commitment on our part to adding information and value exactly in line with the requests from the journalists using the centre."

African Laughter is also now working with four brand ambassadors on the Webaraza project, prominent journalists who are spreading the word about the centre and working to engage all the media and to raise particiption and the value of the platform.

Journalists wanting to have their profile published on Webaraza, need to contact moc.rethgualnacirfa@nek or
moc.rethgualnacirfa@ynowsab.