The Moth Calls on Journalists to Humanise Stories Beyond Breaking News
By Peace Muthoka
NAIROBI, Kenya, November 6, 2026 — Journalists have been challenged to look beyond headlines, statistics and breaking news by telling stories that reflect the real-life experiences of the people affected by the issues they cover.
The call was made on Friday during a media roundtable organised by The Moth, a global storytelling organisation, at Tamarind Hotel in Nairobi, where journalists, editors and storytellers explored how empathy, attentive listening and personal experiences can strengthen public-interest reporting.
The meeting, held ahead of the organisation’s seventh Mainstage show scheduled for Saturday at the Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA), focused on the role of human-centred storytelling in bringing attention to issues surrounding health, safety, family and society.
Speaking during the discussion, The Moth Executive Producer Sarah Austin Jenness said personal stories had the power to influence conversations beyond entertainment, including shaping public policy.
Jenness, who has been with the organisation for 22 years, said she had listened to more than 1,000 stories and witnessed how individual experiences could influence decision-making at the international level.
“The Moth has been around for 30 years, and I have been with The Moth for 22 years now. I have listened to more than 1,000 stories, and I have seen stories change policies at the United Nations,” she said.
She further acknowledged the Gates Foundation’s support, noting that it would help the organisation expand its international and public storytelling initiatives.
The Moth Chief Executive Officer Gina Duncan said the organisation was exploring new ways of telling stories as it strengthened its global programmes, with Africa playing a significant role in its work.
Duncan, who is six months into her leadership role, said the organisation was considering approaches beyond its traditional first-person storytelling format.
“I am six months into The Moth now as CEO, and one of the main things I am looking at is a different way of telling stories,” she said.
For Nairobi Mainstage producer and Bluegrass Solutions founder Josephine Kharay Macharia, the relationship between storytelling and journalism lies in their shared ability to connect people with experiences beyond their immediate surroundings.
Macharia said journalists could strengthen their work by moving beyond reporting events to building meaningful connections with the individuals whose lives are affected by them.
“Producing a show like this has a lot in common with journalism,” she said, adding that personal storytelling connects, informs and transforms audiences.
The importance of humanising stories was also highlighted by Dr Michael Maina, a medical doctor in the Accident and Emergency Department at Kenyatta National Hospital and a Psychiatry Resident at the University of Nairobi.
Maina said his experience with The Moth had influenced his approach to patient care, particularly by strengthening his appreciation of empathy when dealing with people facing medical challenges.
“What I learnt at The Moth was advocacy and empathy. Storytelling has taught me to be empathetic with my patients, and even to make numbers humanising,” he said.
Former journalist and media entrepreneur Adelle Onyango, who founded Legally Clueless Africa and will host Saturday’s Mainstage show, said personal storytelling had changed how she viewed journalism and the responsibility of reporting on people from different backgrounds.
She said journalists should not lose sight of the individuals behind major news events, even when public attention moves to other developments.
“Seeing yourself in the story, and the laughter, are some of the lessons I have been left with,” Onyango said.
She emphasised the importance of empathy and diversity in reporting, saying the human experiences behind news stories should remain important even after the immediate public interest has faded.
Meanwhile, entrepreneur Maureen Awino Amakabane, who trains women and young people, said storytelling had taught her to appreciate different perspectives and listen without judging others.
“Being raised as an African child, The Moth helped me learn about diversity. Listening to other people without being judgemental has been amazing,” she said.
The Moth Podcast and Radio Hour Editorial Director Chloe Salmon said listening was central to developing compelling personal narratives, noting that storytellers needed to retain the authenticity of their experiences when presenting them to audiences.
Salmon, who has spent a decade helping people prepare their stories for the stage, said her role involved identifying the key elements of an experience and helping storytellers communicate them effectively.
“My role is basically to listen, and the art of listening is critical to my work,” she said.
The discussions set the stage for Saturday’s Mainstage event, which will feature five storytellers from Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria and Sierra Leone sharing personal experiences under the theme “Now or Never”.
The stories will explore different life experiences, including receiving an HIV diagnosis, facing tuberculosis as a teenager, surviving an encounter with an armed robber, confronting danger during a scuba certification retreat and taking responsibility for a niece following a family bereavement.
Macharia urged journalists to take the lessons from the storytelling event into their newsrooms, saying the experiences shared on stage reflected realities that deserved wider public attention.
“Where their stories end, yours begin,” she said.
The seventh Moth Mainstage show will be held on Saturday, November 7, at the CUEA LRC Auditorium in Nairobi. Doors will open at 6:15pm, with the event scheduled to begin at 8pm.
Onyango will host the show, with tickets available through The Moth and KenyaBuzz.
The Moth is a nonprofit storytelling organisation known for live performances in which individuals share true personal experiences on stage without notes. Its other programmes include The Moth Radio Hour, The Moth Podcast, educational initiatives, workshops and community programmes.
