1.0
Introduction
For many
years now, globally, the media has assumed and reinforced its important role
as a
legitimate reflection of public interest and opinion. Since Edmund Burke’s
famous
remarks
made in the House of Commons in England in 1774 in recognition of the
important
contributions the press made, the place and position of the media in society
and
governance structure of states continues to be recognized and consolidated as
the
fourth
estate. This is very true of the Malawian media which is fast becoming a strong
pillar,
catalyst and tool of democracy since 1994 when Malawi re-embraced multi-party
democracy
with a liberalised, plural media.
The power
and apparent influence of the media was long realised time in memorial. All
governments
since independence, corporate organisations, influential and powerful
politicians
and individuals have sought ways and means to control and regulate the
media not
only by wanting to limit its legitimate right to write, broadcast and publish
freely but
also to posses it, manipulate it, subject it to mere puppets that can be pulled
by the
string and as we observe today to reduce the media to tools of third grade
propaganda.
Luckily,
global, regional and local trends in good governance coupled with a Malawian
constitution
that provides for freedom of expression and above all media institutions
that
safeguards the freedom of the media through self regulation and advocacy, seem
to
be working
in favour of the media by advancing the principle that a free media is one of
the
pre-requisites for good governance and a legitimate voice of public opinion and
interest.
This helps to remind those in power, whatever power, wanting to restrict the
media, to
be a little restraint for want of a good score on the governance record card.
However,
the threat to media freedom seems to be beyond the powers that we know to
have an
insatiable desire to restrict the media. Malawian journalism, in some of its
quarters,
plays betrayal.
This
presentation discusses what might be a grey area in the Malawian media, the
ethical
conduct that brings about a responsible and credible media. It explores the
challenges
that lie within the media threatening its very fabric of existence, that is,
the
fundamental
principles and values of professionalism and the essential milieu of
freedom
without which media practice becomes almost impossible. The presentation
tries to do
so by firstly clarifying the concept of self regulation through a code of
conduct
or
practice; the betrayal of the profession and breach of public trust through
unethical
and
unprofessional conduct in the industry; the need for ethics; challenges to
ethical
conduct and
finally the way to achieving responsible journalism.
2.0 Ethical
Conduct a safeguard of Media Freedom
The
initiative by the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) to facilitate a process of
self
regulation
through a code of practice to guide the conduct of the media during the 2009
general
elections lies at the heart of Media Council of Malawi’s (MCM) mandate to
safeguard
media freedom through self regulation. The number one objective of Media
Council of
Malawi is to defend and safeguard media freedom in Malawi. The
establishment
of MCM is an initiative to unite media practitioners in their effort to raise
professional
standards and in that way consolidating the social standing of the media
profession.
The co-operation among journalists in the field of ethics in this country is
also a
great training ground for their co-operation in demanding their legitimate
rights
from the
government. Of course quality should never be understood as a pre-requisite
for media
freedom because it is only a fully free media that can be responsible just like
a
child who
grows to be able to stand on their own learn to be responsible. However,
ethical and
professional conduct is a safeguard of media freedom and media power.
The
formulation of a code of practice by the media usually are welcomed by
dissatisfaction
from the public that it often lacks teeth with which to bite, meaning that
no punitive
measures are explicitly stipulated in the code. This may not be true or it may
be a
misunderstanding of self regulation. While punitive measures and disciplinary
actions
might be important in enforcing ethical conduct and editorial policies of
individual
media houses and regulatory bodies, it is important to note that this is not
the
primary
objective of self regulation.
3.0
Defining Self Regulation
Self
regulation is about setting minimum standards on ethics so that journalists
attain
the highest
professional standards that enable them become responsible. It is a
responsible
media that can be trusted by the public and that can make its rightful
demands
from the government. A media that is characterised by punishments is often
viewed
negatively as being irresponsible and therefore not credible. Self – regulation
helps the
media respond to legitimate complaints and therefore correct the errors and
mistakes
that are a genuine concern of the public. It is a pledge by quality conscious
media
professionals to conduct themselves professionally and maintain dialogue with
the public.
This is why, as you will notice, the code of practice has within it a complaint
mechanism
which is intended to deal with justified concerns in a rational and
autonomous
way.
However,
the trust by the public, the demand for their legitimate right to freedom of
expression
and information, and the beauty of the profession itself, is often betrayed by
media
practitioners who operate irresponsibly through clandestine means.
4.0 Media
Betrayal
There is
betrayal of freedom of the media in Malawi, including the freedom of
expression
and the public right to freely receive and impart information and opinion
and
ultimately betrayal of professionalism. Key to this betrayal is the adage: “Who
eats
ethics?”
This is an operating maxim that guides some media practitioners. It is the
motto
of the
antithetical media profession that operates in the opposite direction. It has
made
media
practitioners or industry succumb to various pressures ranging from poor
remuneration
packages, ambush managers, tight lips, political pressure, commercialism
and
ownership.
This
betrayal of the profession becomes rampart during the critical period of
elections
when
ethical and professional conduct of media professionals becomes crucial for
fair
and
peaceful general elections. If this betrayal, is not dealt with now, it will
quickly like
a bush fire
consume all the good that is left in our media profession and leave it
undesirable
only to fulfil destructive agendas through callous means for clandestine
rewards.
But the
question is: How do we stop unethical and unprofessional conduct in the media?
In my
opinion this is a toll order. However, it is not an insurmountable undertaking.
All
it requires
is commitment to professionalism, passion for the profession where our
desire is
to bring the best to the public and leave a legacy that will endure for
posterity
because of
the good work that we live behind.
5.0 Why
Ethics?
5.1 Social
Reasons
Everything
that a journalist does has ethical implications, to a lesser or greater extent.
This is
because everything that a journalist writes or says or neglects to write or to
say in
some or
other way has an influence on people. This influence can be good or bad.
Because the
media have an enormous influence, it is of vital importance that journalism
be
practiced in an accountable and responsible way. When the media act
irresponsibly
several
things happen:
1.
unnecessary harm is done to people;
2. the
media looses credibility;
3. it
weakens the media’s vital role as watch dogs;
4. the well
being of democracy suffers
5.2
Philosophical/Moral
There are
two fundamental characteristics of human behaviour: harm and mutual aid.
Ethics and
moral behaviour are important because of people’s universal aversion to
harm either
physical or psychological. Harm is the experience of pain, suffering or
deprivation
against our will that results from the wilful or neglect act of another person.
From the
moral point of view harm is wrongful injury as a result of human action and
should be
seen as an aspect of evil. While most, if not all human beings would not want
to be
harmed, it is true that most human beings inflict harm from time to time on
others.
The
co-existent realities – the universal human aversion to harm and the universal
human
tendency to inflict harm are the conditions that call ethical practice in the
media
necessary.
5.3
Professional Reasons
Anyone can
write or express their views in any way they want. This is a human right
included in
the bill of rights. However, professional communication exists among a
group of
people who are deemed and recognized so. Therefore if journalism is going to
be
recognized as a profession then it must have ethical standards, professional
training
that enables a prospective practitioner or professional to
acquire a body of theoretical
knowledge, a set of skills, cultivate the necessary
qualities and finally go through a
rigorous process of practical experience or internship
before graduation. This is what
sets a professional communicator from ordinary
communicators. This is the more reason
why MEC recruits qualified journalists to cover the
electoral process. This training
serves as a specialised training for a special process of
general elections.
5.4 Media can be a source of conflict
The Media can also be source of conflict through the harm
they cause to Society. When
media practitioners do their work unprofessionally their
products can be potentially
harmful to individuals, organizations, societies and the
world at large. Harmful media
products can incite hatred and violent conflicts, damage
people’s and organizations
reputations, businesses and disrupt social and economic life
in general. This is why,
although not only for this reason, governments come up with
different legislation to
protect the public from harmful effects of irresponsible
media. There are so many laws
such as those against libel, defamation etc. There is a
marked difference between ethics
and laws. One of the functions of MCM is to ensure that
government does not enact
laws that repress the media but this is not a licence for
the media to be breaking laws
that are meant for a just and order society.
6.0 What Are Ethics?
Most scholars define ethics as a branch of philosophy which deals
with the study of
moral behaviour, its underlying moral principles and
rational justification. However,
there is a difference between morality and ethics. The Latin
word mores refers to the
customs and conventions that govern the ways people behave while
the ethos from
Greek means character. The following are some definitions:
1. The study of what we ought to do. It has to do with duty.
Duty to self and duty
to others.
2. Critical reflection on and self-confrontation with the
moral choices that arise
daily.
3. Rules of conduct or principles of morality that point us
towards the right or best
way to act in a situation.
4. Ethics are concerned with making rational judgements as
well as sound moral
decisions in daily journalistic performance
7.0 General Ethical Guidelines
Journalists ought to serve the public with thoroughness by
providing them with factbased
and accurate information. True and accurate information
helps the public to
understand issues and therefore able to develop informed
opinions and make informed
choices. The following are some of the general ethical
issues or guidelines that will help
media practitioners provide the public with facts.
7.1 Accuracy
Accuracy firstly involves gathering all the relevant facts.
This means that firstly, if a
journalist leaves out one important detail of a particular
story the story will not be
accurate. Secondly, concentrate only on all the relevant
facts. Irrelevant facts will not
only lack space (newspaper) and time (radio and television)
but will also distort the
balance that is so important for accurate reporting.
Secondly, accuracy involves verifying and checking your
facts thoroughly using more
one source. Reporting facts before confirmation is a
violation of one of the basic
principles of journalism.
Thirdly, put the relevant facts in proper context. This is
absolutely important for an
accurate story. Changing the context will give an incomplete
and therefore inaccurate
story. This consequently changes the meaning of the story
altogether.
Finally, although this is not all, put your facts in a fair
and balanced way. Give the
different sides in the story the importance they deserve. Do
not exaggerate or give your
comments. This is not what readers are looking because they
are not interested in your
opinion but facts.
7.1.1 Why Inaccurate Reporting must be avoided
1. It can cause irreparable personal harm
2. It prevents the public from making informed decisions on
important matters
such as voting, investments, shopping etc
3. It affects the media’s integrity (what we think of
ourselves) as well as their
credibility (what the public think about us)
4. The public expects quality work from the media and they
have a right to be
served by honest journalists. Our readers, listeners and
viewers do not only
deserve accurate reporting but also pays for it.
7.2 Truth
Truth is the oldest and most highly regarded ethical
principle of humankind. It has been
the fundamental journalistic value the invention of the
printing press by Gutenberg.
Philosophers, courts, religious people, teachers and parents
value truth.
7.2.1 Why Truth is important?
1. Without the truth a journalist has neither integrity nor
credibility
2. Truth demonstrates a respect for people as people (that
is dignified human
beings) who are not objects of manipulation.
3. It builds relationship of trust between the media and the
public
Truth involves basing a story on solid evidence. Any doubt
should be disclosed in the
story. Accuracy in this case is thus one underlying concept
of truth. Another basic
concept of the notion of truth is promotion of
understanding. A story should contain
adequate relevant information to enable the consumer
understand the facts as well as
the context of the facts. Finally, reporting should be fair
and balanced. Avoid biased
reporting.
7.3 Balance and Fairness
One of the cardinal rules in journalism is taking cognisance
of the fact that there is
virtually all the time another side to a story. “A
professional journalist therefore, has the
obligation to present balanced and comprehensive
information. They look not at two but
all sides of a subject” (Rioba et al 2002: 42).
7.3.1 What is “fair?”
1. According to the Oxford English Dictionary fairness,
among other things means
ample, just, equitable, of moderate quality or amount,
according to rules, above
board, straightforward and equal opportunity.
2. Black et al (1995: 53) defines fairness as the pursuit
for truth with both vigour
and compassion and providing information without
favouritism, self interest or
prejudice. According to Black et al, what is required is to
be open minded, avoid
biased reporting, stereotypical portrayals and
unsubstantiated allegations.
3. According to The Freedom Forum Online, 16 December 1997),
fairness also imply
weighing all sides, presenting all sides in a context,
looking at least at two sides
of an issue .
From the above efforts to define “fair”, Retief 2002:86,
makes an attempt to define this
elusive word and says: “Fairness is firstly an honest
attempt to:
a. To balance your report in such a way that no party is
misrepresented either by
your choice of words or by the lack of proper context (that
would be unjust);
b. Ensure that all parties get their say (equality)
c. Give coverage to different parties in relation to their
important (moderation)
7.3.2 Aspects of fairness
1. The choice of words: Fairness means choosing your words
most appropriately in
order to justly reflect and depict the reality that you are
reporting on.
2. The quest for perspective: You cannot properly
communicate a story without
putting it into its proper perspective or context.
3. The Rashomon Effect: Always bear in mind the fact that
each individual has
their own (unique) interpretation of the same event.
Choosing the account of one
witness above the other implies that you have not given your
sources equal
opportunity to portray the truth. That is unfair.
4. Balance: “Fairness means balance. A balanced report is
one that looks at all sides
to an issue. If one concerned party is overlooked, the
report cannot be fair (Retief
2002:84).
7.3.3 Achieving Balance and Fairness
Whenever, you are working on a contentious story such as
during elections, you will
encounter interested and disgruntled sources. These are
individuals, or organisations or
parties who are involved in a story and each of them always
fight to be in the lime light.
Use each source for their version of the truth or facts.
However, you will find that they
tend to portray their side with a rosy picture, exaggerating
the ill of the other party but
do not mentioning their own shortcomings.
7.4 Objectivity
7.4.1 Are Journalists Objective?
Objectivity just like neutrality and impartiality mean not to
take sides. But is it true that
journalists do not take sides? Many journalists claim that
they are at all times objective,
neutral and impartial. They say “They do not make the news,
they just report on it”
(Retief 2002:99). They use the slogan: “we just report the
facts.
According to Day 1991: 74, Objectivity is a controversial
value and not all media
theorists and practitioners ascribe to it. Day asserts that
it is probably impossible to
achieve it. “The reality however, is that all people are
subjective, partial and biased”
(Retief 2002: 99). Journalists are no exception but many of
them do not accept this. Mary
Kay said: “Aerodynamically speaking, a bumblebee shouldn't
be able to fly, but the bumblebee
doesn't know that, so it goes on flying anyway”. Drawing
from Ash’s words of wisdom, if
one wants to be a good journalist, you had better understand
this fundamental human
trait that all people are subjective, journalists inclusive.
7.5 Objectivity is a commitment
The first step to overcoming subjectivity is therefore to
understand that although you
are a journalist but as a human being you are subjective.
The second step is to make a
quality decision, that is, “a fundamental commitment” as
Retief 2002: 102 calls it “to
strive to be objective”. This means nothing but the
commitment to report truthfully,
comprehensively, and intelligently. Always put an event into
its right perspective or context.
8.0 Ethical Dilemmas
There are various pressures and challenges preventing
journalists behaving ethically.
These range from poor remuneration packages, ambush
managers, tight lips, political
pressure, commercialism and ownership.
9.0 How do we achieve commitment and passion for the
profession?
9.1 Always Remember you have a responsibility to the public
no one else
will do it except you
You make factual information available. The traditional role
of the media and their key
function as reporters of facts is to give the public the
information necessary to make
good decisions and sound choices using various communication
technologies. They are
the outlets for disseminating large amounts of information
to reach large, heterogeneous
and widely dispersed audiences. While this is a daily duty,
it is nevertheless,
particularly important during the electoral process when the
leadership of the country
must be elected.
9.2 You facilitate participation by ensuring that many
voices are heard
You give a chance to many important but otherwise ignored or
neglected voices.
Remember the minority are as important as the majority in a
democracy and without
them there is no democracy. Greater participation by all
citizens in democratic processes
is therefore one key element of good governance.
Participation of the citizenry through
representation in the house of parliament and other similar
institutions is not extensive
and intensive. The media fills this huge gap by providing
plural voices, space and
agenda for public dialogue and debate. A multiplicity of
voices means that differing
perspectives will be heard. These differences are so critical
in fostering democratic
dialogue and moving forward as a country and as a society.
9.3 A free media is critical in ensuring transparency
By now it should be common knowledge that transparency is a
fundamental precept in
good governance everywhere. In Malawi, like elsewhere, the
media is sometimes
referred to as a "watch dog," in large part
because of its willingness to "bark" when
something seems amiss. To some extent, a free media is also
a beacon or a flashlight,
shining a light on dark corners that some would prefer to
ignore. Whatever the
metaphor or image, it is difficult to imagine how issues of
corruption, accountability and
transparency can be effectively be addressed in the absence
of a free and professional
media. Imagine an electoral process that is devoid of
transparent transactions and
accountability. It would be like allowing someone sneak into
your house in darkness
only to realise you have a python sleeping next to you.
It is therefore important that for the media to carry out
their important role effectively
and efficiently, the media should operate within a well
defined code of ethics while
maintaining their freedom and editorial independence. Since
irresponsible journalism
invites restriction, robbing off the media its freedom,
professional conduct and ethical
practice are vital to safeguarding freedom of the media and
ensuring that public trust
invested in the media is sustained.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Karashani, F and Rioba, A. 2002. To Write or Not to Write: Ethical
Concerns in
Journalism. Dar es Salaam: Media Council of Tanzania.
Retief, J. 2002. Media Ethics: An Introduction to
Responsible Journalism. Cape Town:
Oxford
University Press Southern Africa.
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