Media and Truth (1)
This is the first part of a speech to be delivered at a Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) forum.
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The press causes political life to circulate through all parts of that vast territory. Its eye is constantly open to detect the secret springs of political designs and to summon the leaders of all parties in turn to the bar of public opinion.
It rallies the interest of the community round certain principles and draws up the creed of every party; for it affords a means of intercourse between those who hear and address each other without ever coming into immediate contact. Alexis de Tocqueville.
Although the GJA gave me the topic, “Secret Tape Recordings: Its Implications for National Development”, I have unilaterally titled my presentation, “Media and Truth” to underline the fact that although we are encouraged not to lie, it is not at all times that we have to defend our work because it is the truth.
A former Director-General of UNESCO, Dr Amadou Mahatar M’Bow, a distinguished Black African, once noted that “Communication lies at the heart of all social intercourse.
Whenever men have come to establish regular relations with one another, the nature of the systems of communications created between them and the measure of effectiveness they have attained have largely determined the chances of bringing communities closer together or of making them one and the prospect of reducing tension or settling conflicts, whenever they have arisen.”
The media are crucial to development and democracy as they provide the basis for empowering and enabling the people to express their views and opinions. We in the media must thus see the provision of information first as a public good.
The British Press Complaints Commission (PCC) defines the public interest to include “detecting or exposing crime or a serious misdemeanour, protecting public health and safety, preventing the public from being misled by some statements or actions of an individual or organisation.”
In any circumstance, the PCC would require the full explanation of demonstrating how the public interest has been served and take into account the extent to which a published material, or one which is about to be published, helps to safeguard the public interest under freedom of expression.
Accordingly, what we need to ask is whether or not any tape secretly recorded, but with information that exercises, excites or titillates, is in the public interest and it all such information must be reported.
Here is where we need to take account of Mickiewicz that “There are truths which a sage tells all men; There are some which he whispers to his nation; There are those which he entrusts to his friends; And there are those which he cannot disclose to anyone.”
This is a fundamental truth that nobody can run away from, no matter the alibi or justification that we make. It is the fact that not everything which is true is relevant in some discussions. There are some truths that are of no value as far as public interest is concerned. To state such truths is to disturb the peace and order of society.
We must not forget, as Gandhi has noted, that the media, like great rivers, portend both good and evil.
Journalists and media practitioners must appreciate the fact that the guarantee of media freedom must be understood in the context that whereas no one has the power to stop them from saying or publishing whatever they want to make public, whoever publishes something which affects others must take full responsibility for what they freely published.
That is where codes of ethics become imperative as the codes define morality and accepted rules of right or wrong, good or bad, acceptable or unacceptable in terms of social norms and human behaviour. Ethics are essential to stability and decency.
Since journalists are in the forefront of social change, advocacy and democracy, they need to work within rules and regulations. They must weigh the consequences of their actions on the larger interest of society.
Ethical journalism demands fairness, accuracy, competence, professionalism, reaching for the truth, completeness of the story, understanding, objectivity, avoiding bias, test of harm, retraction, publication of rejoinders, public service, trust, escape from manipulation and influence, acceptance of criticism and accountability to the public.
The Society of Professional Journalists in the US is of the belief that “public enlightenment is the forerunner of justice and the foundation of democracy. The duty of the journalist is to further those ends by seeking and providing a fair and comprehensive account of events and issues.
Conscientious journalists from all the media and specialists strive to serve the public with thoroughness and honesty. Professional integrity is the cornerstone of the journalists’ credibility. Members of the society share a dedication of ethical behaviour and have adopted this code to declare the society’s principles and standards of practice.”