Twenty years after the Windhoek Declaration on press freedom
Twenty years after the Windhoek Declaration on press freedom
Twenty years after the Windhoek Declaration on press freedom
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The real reas<strong>on</strong>s for <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> animosity<br />
are lurking under <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> surface,<br />
unspoken, as <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> more “reas<strong>on</strong>able”<br />
arguments for a “statutory Media<br />
Appeals Tribunal” in South Africa<br />
are marshalled.<br />
Unfortunately <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>se arguments find<br />
fertile ground am<strong>on</strong>g secti<strong>on</strong>s of<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> public that remember <strong>on</strong>ly <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
bad journalism. In 2010 <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> Press<br />
Ombudsman’s office received 213<br />
complaints. One complaint is <strong>on</strong>e<br />
too many, but <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> 213 measured<br />
against <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> milli<strong>on</strong>s of words that<br />
are churned out in newsrooms in<br />
South Africa every day is miniscule.<br />
Unfortunately it is <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> 213 that will<br />
be remembered.<br />
The <strong>on</strong>ly defence for <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> media<br />
is a rigorous adherence to good<br />
journalistic ethics: stories that are<br />
“which includes …<br />
<strong>freedom</strong> of <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> <strong>press</strong><br />
and o<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>r media in<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> C<strong>on</strong>stituti<strong>on</strong> and<br />
we believed we were<br />
am<strong>on</strong>g <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> pacesetters<br />
in upholding<br />
democracy.”<br />
truthful, accurate, fair, in c<strong>on</strong>text<br />
and balanced.<br />
Each time <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>y sit down to write,<br />
journalists need to remember why<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>y are telling <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> story. The South<br />
African Press Code spells it out:<br />
“The primary purpose of ga<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>ring<br />
and distributing news and opini<strong>on</strong><br />
is to serve society by informing<br />
citizens and enabling <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>m to make<br />
informed judgments <strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> issues<br />
of <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> time.”<br />
It has to be credible storytelling, in<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> public interest.<br />
The <str<strong>on</strong>g>Windhoek</str<strong>on</strong>g> project of developing<br />
and promoting n<strong>on</strong>-governmental<br />
regulati<strong>on</strong>s and codes of ethics in<br />
each country “in order to defend<br />
more effectively <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> professi<strong>on</strong><br />
and ensure its credibility” has to be<br />
resuscitated in spite of attempts<br />
by <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> politicians in South Africa,<br />
Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe and<br />
elsewhere <strong>on</strong> our c<strong>on</strong>tinent to<br />
turn <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> media into <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>ir lapdogs<br />
through statutory councils.<br />
We have to do it for <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> sake of<br />
democracy and true liberati<strong>on</strong> <strong>on</strong><br />
our c<strong>on</strong>tinent.<br />
Journalists and editors need to get<br />
back to <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>ir ethical codes and live<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>m. Possibilities abound: refresher<br />
courses <strong>on</strong> ethics, brown-bag<br />
lunches to discuss ethics, talks in<br />
newsrooms by authorities <strong>on</strong> ethics.<br />
They need to be acti<strong>on</strong>ed if we<br />
want <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> legacy of <str<strong>on</strong>g>Windhoek</str<strong>on</strong>g> to be<br />
entrenched in our media <strong>freedom</strong><br />
landscape.<br />
Secti<strong>on</strong> 1: Freedom<br />
Media in Africa - 2011 | 73