Safaricom 2018 Sustainable Business Report

65 INTRODUCTION OUR BUSINESS OUR MATERIAL TOPICS STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT 2018 SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS REPORT MEDIA The media play an important role in society by providing a platform for discussion, debate and dissemination of information. They are also an important stakeholder of ours as they provide us with a channel through which we can communicate with our other stakeholders, such as our customers. Accordingly, we need to make sure that the relevant members of the media are presented with the right facts and information and that significant issues are identified and explained fully so that topics and events are reported in an accurate and balanced manner. OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE MEDIA We maintain good working relationships with a wide variety of media representatives to ensure that our voice is heard on pertinent issues and to help provide information and guidance topics that are related to our areas of expertise. We are open to liaise with all members of the local, regional and international media. We work closely with both traditional and digital media houses and individuals — from radio and TV stations to print media publishers (newspapers, magazines) and digital media channels (news sites, bloggers, influencers and social media personalities). We monitor our performance through regular independent assessments and through hosting events and engagements with the media. Our latest independent assessment, conducted by a leading public opinion research consultancy, suggested that we are one of the top three best corporate communicators in Kenya. We scored highly for being accessible and for responding promptly to media enquiries. The only areas where we scored slightly lower were (i) not directing our stories precisely (only pitching them to the specific media outlets that cover the subjects being discussed) and (ii) taking longer than anticipated to source senior leadership spokespeople for responses to stories. DELIVERING VALUE TO THE MEDIA On a regular, ongoing basis, we deliver value to our media stakeholders by providing them with accurate, timely information, further guidance and context regarding complex issues or controversial statements, and access to appropriate company spokespeople. During the year, we have made good progress in terms of addressing the two areas highlighted by members of the media during our most recent independent assessment. We have restructured internally and now target stories to different media channels and news outlets more specifically. We have adopted stricter protocols to decide which stories are newsworthy and have created more targeted pitching so that stories are not blasted to all media. Journalists may also access and filter our news stories through our Telegram channel: @SafaricomNews. We have also launched a news portal called Newsroom (https://newsroom.safaricom.co.ke) , which enables journalists and other media representatives to browse and search for relevant stories. As well as reducing the volume of stories disseminated to journalists indiscriminately, the portal also covers community investment stories. Launched this year, the Safaricom Newsroom portal provides the media with ‘soft news’ stories and information. ILITY REPORT