Denis Galava
25 May 2005
Nairobi — The media in Africa have not been effective in advocating social and economic change because of negative reporting, it was claimed yesterday.
Attorney-General Amos Wako told the 54th General Assembly of International Press Institute World Congress that journalists sensationalised and personalised issues.
He said such a confrontational approach was counter-productive and only ended up alienating key partners in the quest for socio-economic development.
"There are several instances where the media have published inaccurate opinion, shown bias and been intolerant to divergent views," he said.
The A-G said for the media to effectively advocate social change, it must rise above the negative aspects of society like tribalism, corruption and incompetence that undermine good governance.
"The media must not only advocate but also be seen to enhance the principles of good governance to effectively play its role in society," he said.
Wako challenged the Media Council to come up with self-regulating mechanisms to enhance professionalism.
He said journalists had failed to come up with a code of conduct to regulate the profession despite spirited efforts by his office.
"Look at the Law Society of Kenya, for instance. It has internal self-regulating mechanisms supported by an Act of Parliament, which maintains the standards in the profession. This is the only way we can have a responsible media that enjoys its freedom without trampling on the rights of others," he said.
Mr Alejandro Quesada Cisneros from Peru said the media had the duty of supporting good governance, irrespective of who was in power.
"We must support the rule of the law, democracy and accountability, whether the Government is popular or not," said Quesada, who is also the President of the Inter-American Press Association.
Mr Allain Modoux, President of the International Network of Unesco Chairs in Communication, chaired the session on the role of the media in good governance.
Mr Louis Balme, the Vice-President of International Standardisation and Accreditation Services, Geneva, said the Press must always report accurately and fairly.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2005 The East African Standard. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
