Kenyan journalist Ochieng’ Ogodo died in the early hours of Thursday (17 April). He was the former head of SciDev.Net's English language Africa edition and also worked as Africa editor at Mongabay.
Ogodo began his journalism career at The East African Standard in 1996 and later worked on an investigative desk. He wrote for many outlets as a freelancer, including SciDev.Net, The Guardian, the BMJ and University World News. He won the Reuters/IUCN media award in 2008 and joined SciDev.Net in a leadership role in 2010. Colleagues have expressed deep sadness and praised his support for other journalists.
Difficult words
- journalist — person who writes or reports news for media
- editor — person who checks and prepares text for publication
- investigative — about careful work to find facts or problems
- freelancer — person who works independently for different outlets
- award — a prize given to recognize good work
- colleague — someone who works with you in the same jobColleagues
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- Have you ever worked with a colleague who helped you a lot? Describe one example.
- Do you know anyone who works as a freelancer? What work do they do?
- Why do you think awards are important for journalists?
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