A story can make an issue visible and still harm the person at its centre. Reporting on statelessness requires accuracy, context and care with language.
Different forms of knowledge in one room
K-HAKI’s media engagement report records a meeting in Mombasa with journalists, civil-society organisations and a representative from a stateless community. That mix matters. Policy language, newsroom practice and lived experience reveal different parts of the same problem.
Accuracy is more than spelling a name correctly
The discussion emphasised fact-checking and the need to avoid stigmatising language. A journalist should verify legal and administrative claims, explain what is uncertain and resist language that reduces a whole community to a condition.
Empathy does not mean abandoning scrutiny. It means understanding the possible consequences of publication and giving people enough context to speak for themselves.
Responsible reporting asks not only “Is this true?” but also “Is this necessary, fair and safe to publish in this form?”
A practice K-HAKI can carry into its own communication
The same standard applies to an organisation’s website. Public stories should make the work understandable without exposing private case histories. Source notes, careful captions and honest limits help readers judge what they are seeing.