Every writer, every storyteller is a believer in something. Dorcas believes in truth, justice, the power of the human spirit and shared experience. Injustice fills her with rage. Questions about what really happens and why they happen motivate her. Whether it’s a 40 year old mother of five who is writing her KCPE together with her sons, a 7 year old boy living with albinism but is a genius in class or an expectant mother in Samburu who will do anything to go to the hospital to deliver … The triumph of the human spirit is what she hungers for and pursues in every story.
As a student of Communication and Public Relations at Moi University, she learned thatthe journalist knows something other people don’t; sees something other people don’t see. It’s his or her job to make them interested in it … to make them care. “The world is a place where a lot of people do a lot of cruel things, and that a real journalist’s job is to cast some light on that cruelty” David Halberstam.
In November 2013 while still in school, she submitted an essay ‘Malala, Kakenya and I’for a joint competition sponsored by the Standard Group and UNDP. The main focus was on Millenium Development Goal 3 and empowering women and girls. Dorcas’ story earned her an internship as a winner’s prize at the Standard Media Group in February 2014.
Since then, Dorcas has reported on stories that vary from health, current affairs, disaster management, I.C.T, resources, wildlife conservation, culture, development and education. She loves stories that are character driven and her greatest joy is when the audience can connect with every character in the story.
Every time I learn, I teach. Every time, I get, I give. That is the driving force as Dorcas tells each story. One of the stories that’s closest to her heart is about two young boys Dennis and Joshua who sat for their KCPE in 2014 while terminally ill. Mercy Kandiefirst told their story. Dorcas told the story of the mother and child who came out to help them. The response was overwhelming. The boys had their hospital bills paid and had a new lease of life. We lost one of the boys in 2015; but I fully understood the power of sympathy and empathy.
In January 2015, Dorcas was posted to Kakamega County as the Western Region correspondent. It’s a unique challenge and at the same time a one-of-a-kind opportunity. I hope that each story from this place will be important and valuable to our audience.
What sets KTN apart is the fact that the stories are driven not just by rules but by principles.There is room for fresh talent, unlimited creative options and every story is valid regardless of where it’s from or how it’s told. We are all moving towards the same thing, but everyone has something unique.
Dorcas offers her own take, access to places the viewers may never meet or places they will not go, her relationships and most of all the value she has for every single person who cares for what she has to say.
While anyone can tell the basic news report: what, where, when, why and how, not just anyone can tell a story. Storytelling is an art and craft that bridges the gap between the heart and the mind.