The Daily Observer (Banjul)
31 December 2008
A fundamental principle of a just social system is a free and uninterrupted flow of information. It is in respect of this that the media has its place in society.
In the olden days of the monarchs, where rulers reign over subjects, the media served as a voice of the voiceless through championing the struggle for freedom. In this day and age of democracy and human rights, with equality and human dignity the baseline for society's actions, the media continue to serve as an amplifier of the voices of sovereign people.
It is therefore vital, particularly for those of us who are in the media fraternity, to realise that the media has a very crucial role to play in ensuring progress. We must neither use our media outlets for trading derogatory remarks nor should we use them as means of grinding axe with others or to engage in character assassination.
The credibility of any media does not in any way lay on how much false allegation it levied on others, but rather on the veracity of the stories it publishes. We must therefore not resort to the might of the pen and microphone to rubbishing decent individuals in societies.
After all, every society is built on the principles of democracy, the syndrome of jungle justice does not operate any where on earth. But since society is supposed to provide room for individuals to interact, the rights of people can sometimes be encroached upon. And this calls for aggrieved individuals to seek legal redress if their rights are encroached upon rather than resorting to the media to lunch technically fabricated allegations.
The role of the media is to promote and strengthen harmony and peaceful co-existence and not to be used as vehicle for acts of sabotage.
We should prove the veracity of our stories before running to press.
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